Quality and safety of healthcare (2025.05.26)
Research type
Research Database
IRAS ID
356885
Contact name
Alex Bottle
Contact email
Research summary
Research to identify measures of quality and safety in healthcare
REC name
London - South East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/LO/0436
Date of REC Opinion
17 Jun 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion
Data collection arrangements
Our Unit carries out research into the quality and safety of healthcare in England. We hold de-identified hospital administrative data for patients treated in England. This includes information on hospital admissions, outpatient appointments, A&E attendance, and critical care. Data are provided to us by NHS Digital (now NHS England), who link these records to the national death register. It does not cover private patients treated in private hospitals. All research data are held in the School of Public Health’s secure environment, which is located at an Imperial College managed area at a secure data centre in Berkshire. Only approved and authorised Imperial personnel can access our database.
Research programme
Working with clinicians and policy researchers, we use hospital administrative data to examine variations in quality and safety for a range of patient groups and specialties, particularly cardiology, trauma and orthopaedics, and colorectal surgery. We publish in peer-reviewed journals, and our findings are used by academics, the NHS and policymakers. As an example, our work on mortality was pivotal in alerting the national regulator to problems at the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust; later work informed changes in junior doctor induction and NHS seven-day working and assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospital services for children and young people.
Research database title
Research to identify measures of quality and safety in healthcare