Linkage
Linking to national providers of healthcare data
In addition to collecting data directly from each participant's dermatology team, the BADBIR study links to a number of national healthcare data providers to collect additional information. These national providers collect information related to health status which the BADBIR study is able to link to. The process is described fully in the information sheet.
Why does BADBIR need to link to these national providers?
BADBIR links to these existing organisations as they can often provide information not previously known by the research team at a dermatology department. For example, if a participant was away from home on holiday and needed to be admitted to hospital in a different part of the UK, their specialist may not know about this but we may be able to find this out from their linked healthcare record. This helps to build a more complete picture of each participant's health.
How does BADBIR link to these national providers?
Once each participant has consented to join BADBIR, a link can be established to the relevant national provider. This involves the BADBIR study team securely providing the linkage organisation with date-of-birth and unique health service number. This allows us to connect to your records in these organisations. If you are in Scotland or the Republic of Ireland, we will also need to supply your name and parts of your address.
If any of these organisations provide information back to the BADBIR study, they will do so securely and only using your study number.
Which providers does BADBIR link to in each region?
England
| Linkage Type | Data Provider |
|---|---|
| Cancer Registration Data (Malignancy) | NHS Digital on behalf of Public Health England (PHE) |
| Civil Registration Data (Mortality) | Sourced from civil registration data and provided by NHS Digital on behalf of the Office for National Statistics |
| Inpatient Admission | NHS Digital (Hospital Episode Statistics) |
Northern Ireland
| Linkage Type | Data Provider |
|---|---|
| Malignancy | Northern Ireland Cancer Registry (NICR) |
| Mortality | Health and Social Care Business Services Organisation (BSO) |
Republic of Ireland
| Linkage Type | Data Provider |
|---|---|
| Malignancy | National Cancer Registry Ireland (NCRI) |
| Mortality | National Cancer Registry Ireland (NCRI) |
Scotland
| Linkage Type | Data Provider |
|---|---|
| Malignancy | National Health Service Central Register (NHSCR) |
| Mortality | National Health Service Central Register (NHSCR) |
| Inpatient Admission | National Services Scotland (NSS) |
Wales
| Linkage Type | Data Provider |
|---|---|
| Cancer Registration Data | NHS Digital on behalf of Public Health Wales |
| Civil Registration Data | Sourced from civil registration data and provided by NHS Digital on behalf of the Office for National Statistics |
| Inpatient Admission | NHS Wales Informatics Service (Patient Episode Database for Wales) |
What happens if a participant withdraws consent?
If a participant withdraws their consent to be part of the study, the link to the national provider will be taken away.