Sussex links NHS data to transform care across the region
By: Matt Bemment
Last updated: Friday, 19 June 2026
NHS Sussex has taken a major step towards transforming how healthcare is delivered, by bringing together one of the most comprehensive linked health and care datasets in England.
The initiative, known as the Sussex Integrated Dataset (SID), connects records for 1.7 million people across the region, enabling clinicians, planners and researchers to view an individual’s journey through the entire health and care system for the first time.
The development comes as the NHS pushes forward with a long-term ambition to move more care into community settings, focus on prevention, and phase out fragmented, paper-based systems. Central to that vision is better use of data – allowing services to identify need earlier and target support more effectively.
A new paper published in the International Journal of Population Data Science sets out how the dataset has been developed over the past six years, how it is governed and protected, and how it is already being used to improve care planning and research.
The dataset brings together information from GP practices, hospitals, mental health services, ambulance services and council-run social care. This joined-up approach allows insights that would not be possible when systems operate in isolation.
Sussex offers a unique testbed for this type of work. The region combines highly deprived coastal communities with affluent commuter areas, alongside an older-than-average population. It is also home to a large LGBTQ+ community and the largest HIV-positive population outside London.
This diversity makes it a powerful case study for tackling health inequalities and understanding how services can better meet differing needs.
Crucially, access to the dataset has now been extended beyond Sussex through the Kent, Medway and Sussex Secure Data Environment (KMS SDE). Approved researchers can explore anonymised patient journeys across multiple services, without any access to identifiable personal information.
The safeguards ensure that personal data never leaves the healthcare system and is only accessed in secure environments for approved purposes.
The paper highlights practical benefits already emerging from the dataset. One case study shows how SID has been used to identify older people at risk of falls, enabling targeted community-based prevention services to be put in place.
Researchers say this kind of insight is essential if the NHS is to shift from reactive to preventative care.
Dr Elizabeth Ford, Associate Professor at Brighton and Sussex Medical School and lead author of the study, said the dataset provides a clearer picture of how people experience care.
“Sussex is a genuinely fascinating place to study health inequalities,” she said. “The joined-up picture of patients’ whole healthcare journey means we can clearly identify where people are falling through the gaps in provision, and make improvements in their healthcare.”
The authors argue that the Sussex approach could serve as a blueprint for other regions, demonstrating how linked data can support smarter planning, earlier intervention and more joined-up services across the NHS.