NHS Health Check data extraction

Public Health England is making good progress with its national data extraction of the NHS Health Check programme in 2016-2017. The extraction is being conducted by the General Practice Extraction Service (GPES) at NHS Digital (formerly the HSCIC), in conjunction with PHE. Until now, PHE only has a national record of offers and uptake of NHS Health Check by local authority. Following the extraction, PHE will have information showing variation between areas and different demographic groups. The extraction will provide comprehensive detail about the outcomes, reach and effectiveness of the programme.

The intention is that GPES will provide access to pseudonymised patient-level data via the GP IT system suppliers. It remains to be seen whether PHE will have data from all four suppliers, but the aim is to maximise the size of the extract, as resources permit. The extract aims to draw comparisons between those invited for an NHS Health who attended their check, with those who were invited but did not attend. It is anticipated that the extraction will take place in March 2017, with the data analysis following thereafter.

By comparing areas, we can look at where improvements might be made, with the extract presenting opportunities for learning and sharing knowledge between areas. Given the scale of the programme, the extract will provide the largest dataset of its kind in the world (8.79 million checks offered, 4.2 million received, and counting). Pseudonymised patient-level data will allow PHE to link in the future to hospital and mortality data, affording a longer term understanding of the impact of the NHS Health Check.