Analysis

To meet the purpose of the National Obesity Audit Directions 2023, NHS England will carry out the following processing activities:

• validation and creation of derivations as part of the processing of the existing datasets. This includes use of the Master Person Service (MPS) to assign a person identifier to each record. Some of the derivations created help to anonymise the data, for example by deriving age from date of birth
• applying the cohort criteria as detailed in the scope above to restrict use of the existing datasets to the purpose of the NOA
• analysis and linkage shall be undertaken on identifiable data, which may include special category data given that understanding of health conditions is part of the purpose. Access to identifiable data will be limited. Wherever possible when data is shared within NHS England it will be anonymised, aggregate analysis
• Data quality will be checked against the standard six data quality characteristics, which are coverage, completeness, validity, default, integrity and timeliness. Identifiable data quality information may be shared within NHS England to the owners of each dataset to help improve the data quality of the underlying data

NHS England may further analyse the Information in accordance with the NHS England de-identified Data Analytics and Publication Directions 2023 (as amended from time to time and for so long as they remain in force)⁵ subject prior approval by the information governance team and in accordance with information governance procedures and controls, including where required, advice from the Advisory Group for Data.

NHS England may also analyse the Information in accordance with the Life Sciences Directions 2019⁶ (as amended from time to time and for so long as they remain in force) subject to prior approval by the information governance team and in accordance with information governance procedures and controls, including where required, advice from the Advisory Group for Data.

Linkage at an individual patient level across the dataset cohorts will be carried out using the MPS person identifier. This will reduce the data collection burden upon participating care providers and enhance impact.

Analysis by reference or linkage to other data obtained by NHS England under any other section 254 Directions not listed in the Source datasets above may be carried out, subject to prior approval by the information governance team and in accordance with information governance procedures and controls, including where required, advice from the Advisory Group for Data. Other data may include but is not limited to:

• deaths of people living with overweight or obesity – ONS Deaths data
• data on people living with overweight or obesity who access Digital Weight Management services – data from that NHS England programme
• data on people living with overweight or obesity who access other acute hospital services – from HES, the Emergency Care Data Set and the Diagnostic Imaging Data Set
• data on people living with overweight or obesity with relevant comorbidities – existing data sources such as the Maternity Services Data Set, Mental Health Services Data Set, Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Data Set, National Diabetes Audit, CVDPrevent Audit and Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMS) data for hip and knee replacements.
• details of medication are very important both because weight gain can be a side-effect of many medications but also because of the approval by NICE of new weight loss drugs. Data on GP prescribing and from Hospital Prescribing Data when that becomes available

NOA data may also be linked to other data sets to enhance data quality, or the impact of the audit or reduce data burden, where this is otherwise lawful and subject to prior approval by the information governance team and in accordance with information governance procedures and controls, including where required, advice from the Advisory Group for Data.