On the first day of Christmas, your producers sent to thee… a bonus episode of Connecting Society 🎁Mark and Shayda are coming together in person for the very first time to bring you this special festive episode. They answer some burning questions, including: what actually is their favourite statistic? Can we ever agree how to pronounce data? What are some surprising facts about the holiday season? And does Santa use administrative data for his naughty/nice list? Grab a warm drink, settle...

In a data-driven world, administrative data holds the power to tackle society’s toughest challenges - from improving healthcare and education to boosting the economy. But how do we ensure this data is used securely, ethically, and for the public good?Featuring Nikhil Harsiani, Data Ethics Policy Advisor at the UK Statistics Authority, and Mhairi Aitken, Senior Ethics Fellow in the Public Policy Programme at The Alan Turing Institute, this final episode dives into how legal safeguards and publ...

How can co-producing research with historically excluded groups drive impact? In Northern Ireland, a unique partnership between the charity Voice of Young People in Care (VOYPIC) and ADRC NI (Administrative Data Research Centre Northern Ireland) has placed care experienced young people at the heart of research about their lives. These young people have shaped the research by defining priorities, providing feedback, and translating findings into engaging resources.Guests Brenda Kilpatrick, Eng...

Wales’s health and care system is grappling with complex, interconnected issues and opportunities, including an ageing population, inequalities, and the rise of new healthcare technologies. Tackling these now and in the future will require evidence-based policies and strategies that connect health outcomes with broader social factors such as housing, education, and income. A recent Welsh Government report, "Science Evidence Advice: NHS in 10+ Years" (aka. the SEA Report), highlights these int...

Nursing and midwifery form the backbone of the UK’s healthcare system, but the sector faces significant challenges - impacting both professionals' wellbeing and the quality of care patients receive. Administrative data collected by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) holds the key to understanding these issues, and research using this data offers a path to evidence-based solutions. This episode unpacks the wealth of information the NMC collects, how it’s being made available for public go...

In this episode, we examine how data collected by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is being used to drive positive change in the justice system. Our discussion explores the types of data the MoJ collects, why it is collected, and how de-identifying, linking, and sharing this information securely for research can reveal new insights into the justice system.Amy Summerfield, Head of Evidence and Partnerships at the MoJ, shares how data linkage programmes like the Data First initiative aim to addres...

Administrative data is about real people and their lives. So in the first episode of Connecting Society, we’re diving into the big picture behind the vision of ADR UK (Administrative Data Research UK): why does using administrative data for public good research matter? How can it make a meaningful difference to society? And is your data being stored and used securely? Joining us to unpack these questions are Dr Emma Gordon, ADR UK’s Director, and Ally McAlpine, the Scottish Government’s Chief...

A current research project within our Lifelong health and wellbeing thread is investigating whether Commuting has an impact upon a person's health. In this third episode in our podcast pilot, Professor Chris Dibben and Dr Laurie Berrie discuss with Renata Samulnik the value of using administrative data and linking datasets, in order to research whether:Commuting to work by bicycle can improve your health and how?What barriers stop people cycling to work in Glasgow and Edinburgh?Can thes...

In the 1980 and 90s, Glasgow was notorious for a knife crime and had a high rate of homicide – which, in 2005, resulted in the World Health Organization dubbing Glasgow the “murder capital of Europe.” In this second episode of our podcast pilot, Mr Alastair McAlpine discusses with Professor Susan McVie how Glasgow has seen a 60% drop in homicide, and violent crime in Scotland has fallen to historic lows over the last two decades, and asks whether she believes that 'this was a miracle' or whet...

This episode focuses on data on children and families and explores our latest research in this area, how it can help policy and practice, and why engaging with children and understanding their rights is so important.You may wish to refer to the following documents after listening to the podcast;Report on The Impact of Covid-19 on Children’s Care Journeys in ScotlandReport on Infants Born into CareComic on data, research and children’s rightsPlease visit our website pages for further informati...

A current research project within our Health and social care programme is investigating whether there was an increase in deaths at home during and after the Covid19 pandemic and the implications for end of life care and health service usage.Our Research Fellow, Jan Savinc, shares his initial findings from his work analysing the linked death records held by National Records Scotland and health service data held by Public Health Scotland, with Dr Iain Atherton. Listeners may ...