DataLoch enabling improvements in health and social care

DataLoch is a data service that has been developed by the University of Edinburgh and NHS Lothian to bring together routine data collected as part of people's day-to-day interactions with health and social care services. A crucial part of DataLoch’s work is its focus on making data research-ready as well as directly supporting NHS services.

DataLoch works with data in several ways: collaborating with clinicians to improve data quality; linking datasets – across primary and secondary care – to enable broad insights; and maintaining a high-quality metadata catalogue with the support of NHS expertise.

Together, the DataLoch partnership believes that putting data at the centre of responses to health and care system challenges – through research, innovation, and planning – will improve frontline services and, ultimately, the outcomes for those accessing them.

A summary of the data hosted by DataLoch can be found here

The Latest DataLoch enhancements

In DataLoch’s most recent update, significantly improved prescriptions data allow a more complete understanding of the patient journey, while new non-medical data enable projects to explore other influences on health and wellbeing. DataLoch is also actively encouraging researchers to get in touch if they cannot find the hospital data they are looking for in DataLoch’s catalogue.

In addition to the new data opportunities, you can learn about the DataLoch Cancer service, DataLoch’s support for frontline homelessness services, and a recently launched training module for those preparing to work with health data within their projects.

Learn about the latest DataLoch enhancements here