Bradford Council’s Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) has been awarded £289,000 by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to explore public trust and acceptance of the use of routine data.
The HDRC, established in 2022 with NIHR funding, focuses on strengthening the Council’s research capacity to address the wider determinants of health and reduce inequalities across the district. Its mission is to equip policymakers with evidence-based insights that inform measures to improve public health.
The latest award will fund a two-year research project which aims to provide actionable insights that will help develop a trusted local data system. The expected outcomes include:
– Improved understanding of public attitudes toward the use of routine data.
– The creation of a public participation panel to oversee data governance.
– Recommendations for an age of consent to data use based on research findings.
– A co-production guide for HDRCs and local authorities.
– Guidelines for communicating how data is collected, shared, and used, ensuring transparency and building public trust.
Routine or administrative data refers to the information collected during the everyday operations of organizations. In the NHS and secondary care services, the use of routine data can lead to critical advancements in research and improvements in services, such as the development of an Electronic Frailty Index (eFI) that can use electronic healthcare records to help people with different levels of frailty.
An example of routine data held by the Council includes educational data used to measure and monitor young people post-16 that are Not in Education, Employment and/or Training (NEET). This allows the local authority to review the range of support and services available during transition to adulthood, making sure it supports young people to have the best outcomes they can.
Rob Shore, HDRC Data Manager and Project Lead, commented: “Many factors that influence our health – from housing and streets to green spaces, schools, and shops – lie outside the NHS and are shaped by local authorities. Working directly with communities across the District, we want to explore how best to communicate the use of routine data and ensure that local authorities are transparent in how they use data to address health inequalities. We’re looking forward to engaging with the public in this important work.”
Bradford HDRC will actively involve the community through various avenues, including case study feedback, focus groups, and workshops. This collaborative approach will help co-design a national framework for shaping public input into data usage.
The project will be led by Bradford HDRC in partnership with the Born in Bradford’s Age of Wonder programme and researchers from the University of Bradford.
Katy Shire, Programme Manager for Age of Wonder said, “Our Born in Bradford Age of Wonder project is currently following up to 30,000 young people through adolescence and into adulthood. As part of this, we want young people as they turn 18 years old to allow us to use their routine data. This project with the HDRC will be crucial to understand how we can best do this, building trust with the young people in our project for the long term.”
Syka Iqbal, Assistant Professor in Psychology, Bradford University commented, “A key challenge is ensuring sustainable and genuine public engagement that fosters trust in data use. This research will provide insights into public attitudes and help local authorities address health inequalities more effectively through co-producing guidelines that prioritise public trust and engagement.”
