New OHE Guide to UK Health Statistics

Just released is the new OHE Guide to UK Health and Health Care Statistics, which provides both reliable up-to-date statistics and a basic guide to finding and using health statistics for the UK and, to some extent, other OECD countries.

Just released is the new OHE Guide to UK Health and Health Care Statistics, which provides both reliable up-to-date statistics and a basic guide to finding and using health statistics for the UK and, to some extent, other OECD countries.

Health statistics are essential to making decisions about the allocation of limited health care resources, affecting the health of both individuals and entire populations.  With the publication of so much data in both hard copy and on the Internet, locating and accurately collating data sets can be a daunting task.

According to Emma Hawe, the lead author of the OHE Guide, ‘It is not surprising to find a maze of statistical information available in a variety of formats from different sources, both official government data and unofficial collections from the voluntary or private sectors. The OHE Guide cuts a path through this maze.’

As an aid in gathering and accurately using health information, the OHE Guide helps to answer these questions:

• Where do I look?
• What sorts of statistics do government and non‐government bodies produce?
• What do they cover?
• How/where do I find them?
• If I find them, how do I use them or where can I get help and advice?

The OHE Guide consists of four sections plus a glossary and references:

• Population statistics provides a description of demographic issues; population estimates and projections; mortality statistics and summary measures, including life expectancy and standardisation techniques; and the collection and use of morbidity and lifestyle statistics.

• Health care expenditure describes total public and private expenditure on health care in the UK, the structure and financing of the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), and the costs of various activities.

• Hospital activity and workforce provides a detailed account of NHS data collection concentrating mainly on hospital activities, waiting times and workforce.

• Family health services includes details about NHS Family Health Services for primary care, encompassing general medical, pharmaceutical, dental and ophthalmic services.

Each section includes tables and figures of important up-to-date statistics, discussion of issues that are common for that type of data, and notes about the key sources of information used by OHE.  Information on methods used for collating and presenting reliable data also are offered where appropriate.

The pdf version of the OHE Guide is available for download, free of charge, from the OHE website.

Download: Hawe, E., Yuen, P. and Baillie, L. (2011) OHE guide to UK health and health care statistics. London: Office of Health Economics.