Mental health data and analysis: a guide for health professionals

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) brings together data and analysis on mental health and wellbeing from across the health and care system, and produces resources to help improve services and outcomes. OHID also provides data and analysis to support action on suicide prevention.

This guidance is for commissioners, public health professionals and others involved in the local planning and provision of services that support people with mental health conditions. It should support them to use these resources to make or influence decisions about local services.

For further guidance and information about the tools and analysis, contact OHID’s national Mental Health Intelligence Team at mhit@dhsc.gov.uk.

Understanding mental health locally

The OHID has created the mental health profilesprofile on theand Fingertipsguidance websiteto are designed to help commissioners and other health professionals understand the mental health needs and services in their local area.

The profilestools bring together a wide range of publicly available data. The data is grouped by NHS geography or local authority. This means the profilestools can be used to benchmark one area against another. They can also be used to see trends and compare indicators.

The profiles are also structured to support the development of mental health needs assessment.

OHID also also analyses available mental health data and produces the intelligence resources detailed(detailed belowbelow) to support health professionals with using the data to make or influence decisions about local services.

SeverePopulation mental illnesshealth and wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic

The adultThe COVID-19 mental health and wellbeing profilesurveillance report showspresented close to real-time intelligence on the prevalencemental health and riskwellbeing factors of severethe mentalpopulation illnessin (SMI).England Itduring canthe alsoCOVID-19 bepandemic. usedThe tofinal findversion outwas morepublished abouton assessment,12 treatmentApril and outcomes.2022.

CommonSevere mental health conditionsillness

The adultsevere mental healthillness and wellbeing profile shows the prevalence of common mental health conditions (CMHCs), including depression and anxiety disorders, and the risk factors forof thesesevere disorders.mental illness (SMI). It can also be used to find out more about early intervention, assessment, treatment and outcomes locally.outcomes.

ThereThe arepsychosis indicatorsdata report explains the variation in thisnumbers profileof thatpeople arewith specificpsychosis and their access to CMHCscare inand oldersupport people.across England.

Physical health of people with a mental health problem

TheThe Cardiovascular reportDisease on prematurePrevention mortalityAudit indata adultsand withimprovement severe mental illnesstool presents provides analysisdata ofon thekey geographicaltreatment variationindicators infor improving the prematurehealth mortalityof andpatients excesswith prematurecardiovascular mortalitydisease for(CVD). adultsThere agedare now 18 toprimary 74care CVD pathway yearsmetrics with for patients with SMI in  included, England.with accompanying data guidance.

The report on severeinequalities mentalin illnesscancer andscreening physicaluptake examines healthdifferences inequalities usesin athe sampleuptake of primarybowel, carebreast dataand tocervical examinescreening prevalenceby of SMI bypeople age,with sex and deprivationwithout SMI. inThese England.are It also provides intelligence on the proportion3 ofnational peoplecancer withscreening SMI experiencingprogrammes onein orEngland. multipleThis physicalreport healthis conditions,based andon thean inequalityanalysis inof thisa between patientssample withof SMI andprimary allhealth patientscare by age, sex and deprivation.data.

The report on on premature mortality during COVID-19 in adults with severe mental illness investigates investigates premature mortality (deaths in those aged 18 to 74) during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic (January 2020 to March 2021) in people with SMI.

It looks at premature mortality from all causes in people with SMI during the pandemic, how this differs across subgroups or regionally in England, and how this compares to premature mortality in people without SMI.

The report on inequalitieson premature mortality in canceradults screeningwith uptake examinessevere differencesmental inillness thepresents uptakeanalysis of bowel,the breastgeographical andvariation cervicalin screeningthe bypremature peoplemortality with and without SMI.excess Thesepremature aremortality thefor 3adults nationalaged cancer18 screeningto programmes74 years with SMI in England.

The This report ison basedsevere onmental anillness analysisand ofphysical health inequalities uses a sample of primary health care data.data OHIDto alsoexamine:

• the workedrecorded withprevalence Surreyof SMI by Universityage, tosex produceand somedeprivation morein detailedEngland

• the follow-upproportion analysisof onpeople inequalitieswith inrecorded SMI cancerexperiencing screeningone participationor betweenmultiple adultsphysical withhealth andconditions withoutin severe mental illness.England

• The Cardiovascularinequalities Diseasein Preventionthe Auditco-morbidities data and improvementmulti-morbidities tool providesbetween SMI dataand onall treatmentpatients indicatorsby forage, improvingsex theand healthdeprivation ofin patientsEngland

Mental withhealth cardiovascularand disease (CVDwellbeing: JSNA). toolkit

The Eighteenmental primaryhealth care CVD pathwayand metricswellbeing for patients with SMIJSNA toolkit are included,supports with accompanyinghealth dataand guidance.

Perinatalwellbeing mentalboards health

The perinatal,and childrenothers andinterested youngin people’sproducing local mental health profile showsjoint datastrategic onneeds mentalassessments health(JSNAs). inIt pregnancyhelps andpeople theto postnatalconsider periodfactors (2that yearsaffect aftermental birth).health Itand showswellbeing dataand onto demographics,identify risksome andof relatedthe factors,key prevalence,data, information and accessknowledge tothat services.local Itareas includesmay indicatorsuse atto localbuild authoritya andpicture NHSof geographiesneed.

The level.toolkit combines:

• The perinatalthe mental health conditionand prevalencewellbeing (MHW) JSNA profile report explainsproviding theaccess basisto ofmetrics theon modelledprevalence, prevalencerisk estimatesand containedprotective withinfactors, theand profile,activity presentsin theand variationquality inof prevalencesupport acrossand Englandcare andprovision

• guidance provideswith supportinglinks informationto onpolicy howand bestevidence relating to useunderstanding theand estimates.meeting mental health need

Children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing

The perinatal,The children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing profile can can be used to understand the prevalence of children with, or vulnerable to, mental illness and what the risk factors are. It shows the range of health, social care and education services that support these children.children and information on the cost of these services.

Children living with parents in emotional distress provides provides data on the proportion of children living with at least one parent reporting symptoms of emotional distress, by family type and work status.status (Updates(updates are currently paused while the methodology is under review.) review, with potential relaunch in 2025).

Population

Guidance mentalon healthhow to use available information to assess and develop interventions which improve the mental wellbeing duringof children and young people is available in Measuring the COVID-19mental pandemicwellbeing of children and young people.

Perinatal mental health

The COVID-19perinatal mental health profile shows data on mental health in pregnancy and wellbeingthe surveillancepostnatal report presentedperiod close(2 toyears real-timeafter intelligencethe birth event). It shows data on thedemographics, risk and related factors, prevalence, and access to services. It includes indicators at local authority and NHS geographies level. Perinatal mental health andcondition wellbeingprevalence

The Perinatal mental health condition prevalence report explains the basis of the populationmodelled inprevalence Englandestimates duringcontained within the COVID-19profile, pandemic.presents Thethe finalvariation versionin wasprevalence publishedacross England and provides supporting information on 12how Aprilbest 2022. to use the estimates.

Suicide prevention

The The suicide prevention profile brings brings together a range of data on suicide to show how often it occurs, the risk factors, and what contact people with increased risk have with services.

The The suicideSuicide prevention profile updates page page includes all updates. Some updates have an accompanying statistical commentary. The latest commentary introduces age and sex specific directly standardised suicide rates.

The The near to real-time suspected suicide surveillance system for England is is designed to act as an early warning system for changes in patterns of deaths by suicide to enable appropriate intervention. The reportreports showsshow:

• statistics for the most recent 25-month period
• monthly suspected suicide rates by age group and sex
• data on suspected method of suicide for the most recent 25-monthquarter

Common periodmental andhealth datadisorders

The oncommon suspectedmental methoddisorders profile shows the prevalence of suicidecommon formental health disorders, including depression and anxiety disorders, and what the mostrisk recentfactors quarter.