Public health experts have expressed concern for the future of a “vital” health survey, after the government said it would no longer be run by NHS England.
The Health Survey for England, launched in 1991, is an annual study that collects data from about 8,000 adults and 2,000 children across the country, through face-to-face interviews and questionnaires.
It gathers data on a range of important health metrics such as height and weight, smoking and alcohol use, with public experts describing it as an “arterial” source of data due it being nationally representative and high quality.
At a briefing in July by the UK Data Service, the government said the 2025 edition would be the last one because “NHS England will not be prioritising population health surveys in its long-term strategic work plan”.
The news comes amid unprecedented cost cutting within the NHS, as the health service faces a predicted shortfall of nearly £7.7bn this financial year.
The government has said that the survey is not being stood down, but will no longer be run by NHS England. However, details regarding how the survey will be run have not yet been revealed as the government says it is exploring alternative ways of collecting the same information as the health survey.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all have their own individual health surveys.
Veena Raleigh, a senior fellow at the King’s Fund, said the survey was an “arterial source of information on the health of our population” that has been instrumental in shaping and monitoring health services and policy decisions across England, including blood pressure, smoking and obesity.
She said: “Without the Health Survey for England, we would not have invaluable data on current trends in population health and whether the NHS is reaching and treating people and communities who are most at risk of poor health.
“At The King’s Fund the survey data has enabled us to assess trends and inequalities in the proportion of people who have multiple risk factors such as smoking, poor diet and excess alcohol use. The research would not have been possible without the Health Survey for England data.”
Prof Kamila Hawthorne, the chair of the Royal College of GPs, said the survey would need to be “replaced with something similar, generating the vital information that organisations across healthcare need to monitor changes in public health”.
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She said: “Effective public health policy, which has an impact on our patients, relies on up-to-date and good quality data, so it is concerning that NHS England is considering scrapping the Health Survey for England.”
Prof Oyinlola Oyebode, the acting director of the Warwick Centre for Global Health, said the survey had provided vital data that had “revealed under-diagnosed conditions, such as diabetes and chronic kidney disease, and tracked health trends like obesity and secondhand smoke exposure”.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “The Health Survey for England is not being stood down. We are working closely with NHS England and the Office for National Statistics to explore alternative improved approaches to ensure there is essential health monitoring beyond 2025.
“We will ensure that decision-makers continue to have access to high-quality population health data that improves health outcomes across England.”