National Survey for Wales:
The NSfW involves around 12,000 people each year and covers a broad range of topics. The main purpose is to provide information on the views and behaviours of adults in Wales.
Data presented in the tool is by financial year, although presented in the trend tab, direct comparisons over time are not possible due to the significant change in methodology each year. Additionally, not all questions were asked during each survey period.
Useful links
Patient Episode Database for Wales:
The Patient Episode Database for Wales (PEDW) comprises records of all episodes of inpatient and day case activity in NHS Wales hospitals. Hospital activity for Welsh residents treated in other UK nations (primarily England) is also included. The data is collected and coded at each hospital. The records are then electronically transferred to Digital Health Care in Wales, who validate and merge into the main database.
From 2019/20 onward, there was a reduction in total emergency admissions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This should be given due consideration when analysing trends in hip fracture admissions among older people.
Please note that there is an issue with diagnostic coding in several health boards. Table 1 illustrates how the missing codes are distributed by financial year and health board, as at August 2022. Counts of specific diagnoses will be underestimated, but to an unknown extent, therefore caution should be exercised when interpreting trends for these health boards. Additionally, where the percentage of missing diagnoses is over 20%, the value has been suppressed.
Table 1 Missing diagnostic codes, emergency admissions (excluding transfers) by area and financial year
|
Area |
Financial year |
Missing records |
|
Aneurin Bevan UHB |
2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2022/23 |
14% 11% 11% 12% |
| Cardiff and Vale UHB |
2011/12 2022/23 |
19% 20% |
| Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB | 2019/20 | 11% |
|
Hywel Dda UHB |
2017/18 2019/20 2020/21 |
10% 15% 12% |
| Swansea Bay UHB | 2022/23 | 16% |
|
Blaenau Gwent |
2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2022/23 |
10% 13% 12% 14% |
|
Caerphilly |
2017/18 |
10% |
| Cardiff |
2011/12 2012/13 2021/22 2022/23 |
23% 11% 10% 23% |
| Carmarthenshire |
2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 |
16% 10% 21% 14% |
| Ceredigion |
2019/20 2020/21 |
14% 22% |
| Merthyr Tydfil | 2019/20 | 14% |
| Monmouthshire |
2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2022/23 |
16% 14% 13% 15% |
| Neath Port Talbot | 2022/23 | 17% |
| Newport |
2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2022/23 |
20% 12% 12% 12% |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | 2019/20 | 14% |
| Swansea | 2022/23 | 16% |
| Torfaen |
2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2022/23 |
16% 15% 13% 15% |
| Vale of Glamorgan |
2011/12 2022/23 |
11% 16% |
Useful links
Life expectancy (LE)/ Healthy life expectancy (HLE) at birth:
The PHM is used to calculate Life expectancy (LE) at birth, it is an estimate of the average number of years that newborn babies could expect to live, assuming that current mortality rates for the area in which they were born applied throughout their lives. It is calculated using the abridged life table method which is the preferred method of the Office for National Statistics (ONS). As all LE calculations are based on current mortality rates, average life expectancy will change over the course of a lifetime irrespective of other factors. These should therefore be considered as comparative population measures of mortality during a period of time rather than as predictions of actual individual life expectancy.
Healthy life expectancy (HLE) is an estimate of the average number of years that newborn babies could expect to live in good health, assuming that current mortality rates and levels of good health for the area in which they were born applied throughout their lives. Healthy Life Expectancy is calculated using the Sullivan method which is the preferred method of the ONS for calculating healthy life expectancy at birth. Its calculation involves combining health status data from the Annual Population Survey (APS) and Census with the mortality and population data used for LE. ‘Healthy’ was judged to be a response of very good or good to the APS question asking those aged between 16 and 85 “How is your health in general; would you say it was … Very Good, Good, Fair, Bad, Very Bad”.
Adjustments are applied to prepare the APS data for the Sullivan method which use the Census health data, these include:
Imputation is also needed where for a particular breakdown:
Life Expectancy releases and their different uses.
Annual Population Survey (APS), ONS
The APS is used to estimate the following proportions;
Welsh Government Lifelong Learning Wales Record (LLWR)
The LLWR is used to estimate the following proportion:
• Labour market status of those engaged in Work Based Learning.
These proportions are then applied to the numbers known to be in education, work-based learning and the total population to derive estimates of participation by education and employment. For Work Based Learners, the labour market status at the start of the learning programme collected via the LLWR is used with the addition of some APS data to estimate the proportions in full-time and part-time employment.
As the data comes from a survey, the results are sample-based estimates and are therefore subject to differing degrees of sampling variability, i.e. the true value for any measure lies in a differing range about the estimated value.
Data is published annually, 2020 data is provisional at this point. The dataset can be accessed via stats wales.
Conception statistics (ONS)
Conception statistics are estimates of all pregnancies of women usually resident in England and Wales. Figures are derived from maternity, birth and abortion notifications. As there are legal requirement to record this data, it is one of the most reliable data sources available. This dataset combined with the ONS mid-year population estimates is used to estimate conception rates per 1,000 females (15-17 year olds) in Wales.
Quality and methodology information
User guide to conception statistics
Public Health Mortality
Public Health Mortality (PHM) is a dataset containing each individual death of a resident that is registered in the particular year. Individual records for death registrations are sent on a weekly basis from the Registrars’ offices across England and Wales to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The ONS collates and validates the data. The data are based on the underlying cause of death e.g. if an individual dies from pneumonia but had been made vulnerable to that disease by end-stage cancer, then cancer (rather than pneumonia) is recorded as the underlying cause of death.
There have been revisions to the manner in which the death certificates are translated by the ONS into International Classification of Diseases codes (10th revision). These changes mean that unrevised data are not comparable across years. The main change relates to the rules that govern which cause of death detailed on the death certificate is selected as the underlying cause. Comparability ratios have not been used in these analyses and therefore caution should be exercised when interpreting trends.
Cause of death is based on the medical certificate of cause of death. This is completed by the certifying doctor for about three quarters of deaths and by a coroner for the remainder. Most of the deaths certified by a coroner do not involve an inquest or any suspicion of violence, but are referred to the coroner because they were sudden and unexpected, or because there was no doctor in attendance during the deceased’s last illness. There will be a long delay in registering a small number of deaths for which a coroner’s ruling is required e.g. suicide, homicide, undetermined intent.
Please note that suicides have been counted by date of registration. There is a known delay between date of occurrence and the date of registration; further delays are likely as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Please be aware that data is likely to be incomplete, particularly for the most recent periods. See ONS for more information:
Hazards and licences data collection, Welsh Government (WG)
Assessments under the Housing Health and Safety Rating Systems (HHSRS) may be carried out for a number of reasons. For example, an HHSRS assessment is carried out when licensing a house in multiple occupation or when a complaint about a property is received from the occupier or a neighbour. Whilst it can cover all residential premises, it is more commonly used to assess standards in private rented housing. Dwellings can be assessed more than once during each reporting period.
The quality of housing indicator is defined as the percentage of assessments which are free from category 1 hazards according to the Housing Health and Safety rating system hazards. Category 1 hazards are those that provide the greatest risk to occupants. As this is sourced from the annual housing hazards and licences data collection it does not cover all dwellings but just those that are assessed by local authorities.
Note that, due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020, data on housing hazards and licences in Wales for 2019-20 were not collected.
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) & UK Air Information Resource (AIR)
Air Quality Exposure Indicators - average NO2, PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations across local authority areas and health board areas, derived from modelled data for each square kilometre in Wales, measured in µg/m3 (DEFRA data).
Each year the UK Government’s Pollution Climate Mapping (PCM) model calculates average pollutant concentrations for each square kilometre of the UK. Each year the Pollution Climate Model (PCM) which underpin the background maps is refined and improved (to account for latest available science and understanding e.g. changes in emissions factors, improved activity data etc.). These method changes are usually only applied in the latest year's figures.
The model is calibrated against measurements taken from the UK’s national air quality monitoring network. The Welsh Government has used this published data to assign a concentration of NO2, PM2.5 and PM10 to each residential dwelling in Wales based on which square kilometre of Wales it sits in.
For each census output area (statistical geographic units comprising around 150 properties), the pollutant concentrations associated with each dwelling within it were averaged to give an average NO2, PM2.5 and PM10 concentration across the census output area.
The quality of air we breathe indicator in this tool is defined as the annual average nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) concentration levels at residential dwelling locations (µg/m³).
National Community Child Health Database (NCCHD)
The National Community Child Health Database (NCCHD) includes details relating to maternal and child health related indicators such as births, immunisation screening, safeguarding children and breastfeeding.
Each of the seven health boards in Wales has a Child Health System database which they manage locally. Anonymised records for all children born, resident or treated in Wales and born after 1987 are collated from each of the local databases each quarter to create the NCCHD.
The statistics relate to live births born to Welsh residents during the relevant calendar year. The analyses are for live births only and do not include stillbirths. However, births occurring in Wales (whether to Welsh or non-Welsh residents) can also be counted by the NCCHD.
The ‘low birth weight’ and ‘breastfeeding at 10 days’ indicators are created using this dataset.
Breastfeeding data has been suppressed if it is less than 80% complete. The data is not robust enough to provide trend charts.
To note breastfeeding also includes chestfeeding.
School Health Research Network (SHRN)
The School Health Research Network (SHRN) is a partnership between Welsh Government, Public Health Wales, and Cardiff University established in 2013. They aim to improve young people’s health and wellbeing in Wales by working with schools in both primary and secondary education to generate and use good quality evidence for health improvement. This includes surveys, capturing key health and wellbeing metrics. These metrics are referenced in many national policies and strategies, including the Whole School Approach to Mental Health and Wellbeing (2021) and Estyn’s Healthy and Happy Report (2019).
Since 2017, all mainstream secondary schools in Wales have become registered SHRN members with over 90% of schools completing SHRN’s Student Health and Wellbeing Survey in 2021/22.
Calculation of healthy weight indicator:
|
Characteristic |
“Under/Normal” BMI range |
|
11 year old, male |
<=20.89 |
|
11 year old, female |
<=21.20 |
|
12 year old, male |
<=21.56 |
|
12 year old, female |
<=22.14 |
|
13 year old, male |
<=22.27 |
|
13 year old, female |
<=22.98 |
|
14 year old, male |
<=22.96 |
|
14 year old, female |
<=23.66 |
|
15 year old, male |
<=23.60 |
|
15 year old, female |
<=24.17 |
|
16 year old, male |
<=24.19 |
|
16 year old, female |
<=24.54 |
Maternity Indicator Data set (MIds)
Statistics on smoking at birth are limited by the way in which the data is collected. If carbon monoxide (CO) monitoring is not available, data reliability is dependent on the mother self-reporting accurate information. CO monitoring has largely been suspended since the COVID-19 pandemic began, so data for 2020 and 2021 is mainly self-reported.
E-Cigarette use should not be recorded in this data item and would not be detected by a CO monitor; however, in practice some mothers may self-report as a smoker if they use e-cigarettes and be incorrectly recorded as a smoker. Likewise, some mothers who do smoke may self-report as a non-smoker and be incorrectly recorded as a non-smoker.
In 2021, 82% of records had valid data recorded at the Wales level. This was largely due to Hywel Dda health board not supplying any smoking at birth data, while there was only 68% complete data for Cwm Taf Morgannwg. There were also low levels of completeness in 2020 for Hywel Dda (30%), Cwm Taf Morgannwg (70%) and Powys (76%). However, in all years prior to 2020, more than 90% of records had valid data for smoking status at birth, across nearly all health boards.
Full details of every data item available on both the Maternity Indicators dataset and National Community Child Health Database are available through the NWIS Data Dictionary.
More detailed information on the sources of data and analyses in this statistical release are provided in the quality report.
Stats Wales data.
Households Below Average Income (HBAI)
Households below average income (HBAI) statistics are based on the Family Resource Survey (FRS), which captures detailed information on income, employment, education level and disability from over 16,000 households in the United Kingdom, with around 900 households in Wales each year. HBAI statistics are used to provide estimates of the percentage of children living in low-income households, measuring both relative and absolute income. The children in poverty indicator presented in PHOF uses relative low income, which measures the number and proportion of children (aged 0-15) in households below 60 per cent of the UK average income, after housing costs are paid. Percentages are calculated using ONS mid-year population estimates.
Both financial year-end (FYE) 2021 and FYE 2022 FRS data were impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, which resulted in a change in methodology from face-to-face interviews to telephone interviews. These changes resulted in FYE 2021 data sample with fewer renters, households with children and respondents educated below degree level, when compared to FYE 2020. Data quality checks for FYE 2022 suggest that levels of bias in the data are lower than FYE 2021, having less influence on the statistics. It should be noted that FYE 2021 is excluded from the analysis, with 3-year rolling averages including FYE 2021 using two data points only.
Further information on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on HBAI statistics can be found in the FYE 2022 technical report.
COVER - National childhood immunisation uptake data
Analysis is carried out by the preventable disease programme and communicable disease surveillance centre. The number of children who received the scheduled vaccinations detailed above is divided by the number of children aged 4 multiplied by 100. This measure is calculated using appropriate booster immunisation or final course doses. Figures are calculated for children living and resident in Wales as at the end of March in each year.
Latest quarterly data report.
Immunisation and vaccines resource page.
Other key data sources:
Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2019 (WIMD) (used to calculate fifths of deprivations). It is the Welsh Government’s official measure of relative deprivation for small areas in Wales. It is made up of eight separate domains/types of deprivation.
ONS Mid-year estimates (MYE) are the official source of population sizes, produced annually, covering populations of local authorities, counties, regions and countries of the UK by age and sex. This data source is used as the denominator when calculating crude and age-standardised rates.