This dimension covers the degree to which the statistical product meets user needs in both coverage and content.
This report is a National Statistic and is produced according to the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.
Most of the information in this report has been previously published. The sources of the information are trusted sources; the majority being either National or Official Statistics. Most sources referenced in this report include a Methodology section for further information.
Hospital admissions data
The data presented in this report are for inpatients only and therefore does not reflect all hospital activity. This should be considered when interpreting the data as recording and clinical practice may vary over time and between regions.
Some caution is necessary when looking at these data as, drug misuse may only be suspected and may not always be recorded by the hospital and, where drug misuse is recorded, it may not be possible to identify which drug(s) may be involved.
Further general information on HES data quality, including specific known issues can be found here:
The processing cycle and HES data quality - NHS Digital
COVID-19 and the production of statistics: Due to the coronavirus illness (COVID-19) disruption, it would seem that there is some effect on the quality and coverage of some of our statistics in relation to the 2020/21 period. It is known that many hospitals are reporting zero or significantly less activity across one or more datasets for March 2020 onwards. The HES data in this publication relates to 2019/20, therefore, the end of the reporting period for this publication includes some of the pandemic period but this is estimated to have a negligible impact on the data.
Survey data
Some of the information signposted in the report is taken from survey data. Sometimes the mode of data collection used in a survey can have an impact on how respondents answer the questionnaire. For example, surveys conducted via a face-to-face interview such as the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) provide an opportunity for an interviewer to use a computer to record the respondent’s answers which will improve the quality of the data by ensuring all the questions are completed and not allowing any invalid or inconsistent answers. By comparison data collected via a self-completion survey such as Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Amongst Young People (SDD) will have none of these inbuilt validations.
Face-to-face interviews also provide an opportunity to guide the respondent through any interpretation issues, which is more difficult in self-completion surveys.
Both modes however may suffer from respondents being tempted to give answers which are considered to be more socially acceptable. This could occur either through the surveys being completed in the home when other family members are present, or through the interviewer being present at a face-to-face interview. This effect is reduced in surveys such as Smoking, Drinking and Drugs (SDD) which is conducted in schools in exam conditions.