First published by Care Research Wales.
A new, UK-first data linkage research initiative using SAIL is aiming to improve our understanding of adult social care in Wales.
The Social Care Linked Data Lab (CARE Lab), led by Cardiff University’s Centre for Adult Social Care Research (CARE), has received £1.44 million in funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
This project will link routine data from adult social care services with other sources -including health care data, children’s social care records, and the 2021 Census – using anonymised data held in the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank, the trusted research environment (TRE) for Wales. The goal is to develop a more complete picture of adult social care in Wales, with the ultimate aim of informing policy and improving services in Wales and across the UK.
Professor Jonathan Scourfield (CARE) and Dr Fiona Lugg-Widger from Cardiff University’s Centre for Trials Research are co-leading the work, supported by researchers and policy experts from CASCADE, Swansea University, the London School of Economics, Social Care Wales, the Welsh Government and Disability Wales.
Professor Scourfield said:
“Large amounts of routine data are collected in public services. For example, every time we have a hospital appointment or social worker visit, a record is kept by the NHS or local authority. In social care, this data is underused, and so much could be learned by bringing it together. The social care sector faces many challenges, and better use of data could be key to improving services.”
Dr Fiona Lugg-Widger added:
“By linking data sets from different public services – such as general practice records and local authority social services, our research team will look for patterns and trends that could inform how individuals are cared for. Importantly, this can be done securely and responsibly, protecting individuals’ privacy.”
The research team will also carry out interviews with people who receive care, unpaid carers, and social care staff. These conversations will help interpret the findings from the data and provide additional context.
A Lived Experience Group will meet regularly throughout the project. Led by a disabled person with experience of adult social care, the group will bring together a range of perspectives. Members will be able to contribute to the research process, including data interpretation, if they choose.
Professor Ashley Akbari from Swansea University said:
“We are really looking forward to taking forward this project, which will demonstrate the opportunities to use existing and newly collected/acquired data sources for anonymised secure linkage within the SAIL Databank, and pursue innovative, impactful research developing a more complete picture of health and social care research for the population of Wales.”
