Work led through the Networked Data Lab has been recognised with the Florence Nightingale Award, celebrating the innovative use of linked data to improve health and care services across the UK.
Led locally by the NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (Leeds Office) in partnership with The Health Foundation and Leeds City Council, the Networked Data Lab brings together health and care data to help partners better understand local need, reduce health inequalities and improve services.
One of the team’s recent pieces of work, The elective care waiting list: insights from linked data, explored how waiting times differ between communities and what happens to people while they wait for treatment. Using linked datasets from across the UK, the research highlighted inequalities experienced by people living in more deprived communities and demonstrated how better use of data can support more informed planning and service improvement.
The work has also informed a detailed West Yorkshire analysis, helping local partners understand waiting list patterns and identify opportunities to improve care for different population groups.
The Networked Data Lab brings together analysts from across the UK to answer shared questions using linked health and care datasets. By combining local intelligence with national collaboration, the programme provides evidence that helps shape policy, improve services and tackle health inequalities.
You can find out more about the Networked Data Lab, explore the elective care waiting list analysis, read the West Yorkshire report on GitHub, or browse all Networked Data Lab publications.
