scholarly journals Early spread of the 2009 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic in the United Kingdom – use of local syndromic data, May–August 2009

2011 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Smith ◽  
G E Smith ◽  
B Olowokure ◽  
S Ibbotson ◽  
D Foord ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Pandemic Influenza ◽  
Syndromic Surveillance ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Surveillance Data ◽  
The West ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
West Midlands ◽  
Influenza Activity ◽  
Nhs Direct

Following the confirmation of the first two cases of pandemic influenza on 27 April 2009 in the United Kingdom (UK), syndromic surveillance data from the Health Protection Agency (HPA)/QSurveillance and HPA/NHS Direct systems were used to monitor the possible spread of pandemic influenza at local level during the first phase of the outbreak. During the early weeks, syndromic indicators sensitive to influenza activity monitored through the two schemes remained low and the majority of cases were travel-related. The first evidence of community spread was seen in the West Midlands region following a school-based outbreak in central Birmingham. During the first phase several Primary Care Trusts had periods of exceptional influenza activity two to three weeks ahead of the rest of the region. Community transmission in London began slightly later than in the West Midlands but the rates of influenza-like illness recorded by general practitioners (GPs) were ultimately higher. Influenza activity in the West Midlands and London regions peaked a week before the remainder of the UK. Data from the HPA/NHS Direct and HPA/QSurveillance systems were mapped at local level and used alongside laboratory data and local intelligence to assist in the identification of hotspots, to direct limited public health resources and to monitor the progression of the outbreak. This work has demonstrated the utility of local syndromic surveillance data in the detection of increased transmission and in the epidemiological investigation of the pandemic and has prompted future spatio-temporal work.

Utility of Ambulance Data for Real-Time Syndromic Surveillance: A Pilot in the West Midlands Region, United Kingdom

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 667-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Todkill ◽  
Paul Loveridge ◽  
Alex J. Elliot ◽  
Roger A. Morbey ◽  
Obaghe Edeghere ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Surveillance System ◽  
Syndromic Surveillance ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Preliminary Assessment ◽  
The West ◽  
Syndromic Surveillance System ◽  
West Midlands

AbstractIntroductionThe Public Health England (PHE; United Kingdom) Real-Time Syndromic Surveillance Team (ReSST) currently operates four national syndromic surveillance systems, including an emergency department system. A system based on ambulance data might provide an additional measure of the “severe” end of the clinical disease spectrum. This report describes the findings and lessons learned from the development and preliminary assessment of a pilot syndromic surveillance system using ambulance data from the West Midlands (WM) region in England.Hypothesis/ProblemIs an Ambulance Data Syndromic Surveillance System (ADSSS) feasible and of utility in enhancing the existing suite of PHE syndromic surveillance systems?MethodsAn ADSSS was designed, implemented, and a pilot conducted from September 1, 2015 through March 1, 2016. Surveillance cases were defined as calls to the West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) regarding patients who were assigned any of 11 specified chief presenting complaints (CPCs) during the pilot period. The WMAS collected anonymized data on cases and transferred the dataset daily to ReSST, which contained anonymized information on patients’ demographics, partial postcode of patients’ location, and CPC. The 11 CPCs covered a broad range of syndromes. The dataset was analyzed descriptively each week to determine trends and key epidemiological characteristics of patients, and an automated statistical algorithm was employed daily to detect higher than expected number of calls. A preliminary assessment was undertaken to assess the feasibility, utility (including quality of key indicators), and timeliness of the system for syndromic surveillance purposes. Lessons learned and challenges were identified and recorded during the design and implementation of the system.ResultsThe pilot ADSSS collected 207,331 records of individual ambulance calls (daily mean=1,133; range=923-1,350). The ADSSS was found to be timely in detecting seasonal changes in patterns of respiratory infections and increases in case numbers during seasonal events.ConclusionsFurther validation is necessary; however, the findings from the assessment of the pilot ADSSS suggest that selected, but not all, ambulance indicators appear to have some utility for syndromic surveillance purposes in England. There are certain challenges that need to be addressed when designing and implementing similar systems.TodkillD, LoveridgeP, ElliotAJ, MorbeyRA, EdeghereO, Rayment-BishopT, Rayment-BishopC, ThornesJE, SmithG. Utility of ambulance data for real-time syndromic surveillance: a pilot in the West Midlands region, United Kingdom. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(6):667–672.

497 20-YEARS OF BLADDER CANCER RESEARCH IN THE WEST MIDLANDS REGION OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: A COMPARISON OF TWO LARGE COHORTS

2010 ◽  
Vol 183 (4S) ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Bryan ◽  
Maurice Zeegers ◽  
Deborah Bird ◽  
Margaret Grant ◽  
Nicholas James ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Research ◽  
Bladder Cancer ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
The West ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
West Midlands

Territory and Public Employment: A General Model and British Evidence

1981 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Parry
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Structural Constraints ◽  
Public Employment ◽  
The West ◽  
The Public ◽  
Client Group ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
West Midlands ◽  
Location Patterns ◽  
Group Characteristics

ABSTRACTA model of the territorial distribution of public employment within a country is presented, and tested with evidence from the United Kingdom in 1977. Three influences are suggested to account for the pattern of territorial variation: proportionality (an even distribution after standardisation for area and client group characteristics); the structure of the public sector (the presence of industries and services that must be concentrated in some places) and political discretion. These are then related to different activities of government. The first two influences are shown to account for much, though not all, of the territorial variation between United Kingdom nations and regions in 1977, substantial though this was, with Northern Ireland having nearly twice the level of public employment of the West Midlands. Location patterns tend to be byproducts of decisions taken on functional grounds, with structural constraints and service entitlements having a much greater impact than political choice.

Opportunities and Challenges in Designing a Public Health Knowledge and Skills Curriculum for Refugee and Migrant Community Health Champions in the West Midlands, England (UK)

2020 ◽  
pp. 237337992095017
Author(s):  
Oliver Mudyarabikwa ◽  
Krishna Regmi ◽  
Sinead Ouillon ◽  
Raymond Simmonds
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Health Knowledge ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
The West ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
West Midlands

There has been much discussion recently about the potential of Community Health Champions (CHCs) to promote universal health coverage in the United Kingdom. Among refugee and migrant groups, there is concern that untrained community workers miss out on understanding the major causes of poor health outcomes. This study aims to examine the challenges and opportunities that influence the designing of an effective curriculum to help CHCs develop the necessary knowledge and skills. A qualitative evaluation of a collaborative public health curriculum with this primary objective, focused on aspiring CHCs drawn from refugee and migrant populations, was conducted. The 5-week curriculum was delivered as a community partnership between a local university, three metropolises, and three refugee and migrant centers, all located in the West Midlands, United Kingdom. We found no evidence of existing curriculums that target refugees and migrants to develop knowledge and skills for influencing health services utilization by individuals within their own community. It is an opportune time to introduce such a curriculum because health providers occasionally use CHCs for some roles in their activities. Important challenges in this curriculum concerned generating consensus on content, dealing with power structures in negotiating the content, and agreeing on boundaries in curriculum activities. There is evidence of CHCs from refugee and migrant backgrounds having an interest in developing skills for helping reduce health inequalities in the United Kingdom. This study concludes that significant challenges exist in designing a CHC curriculum that all stakeholders can easily accept, but not having consensus on content may be detrimental to their learning.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document