Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to the summer 2026 edition of the Lambeth DataNet bulletin which provides an update on the great research being undertaken to provide insights into the needs of our Lambeth residents, all thanks to DataNet.
What is Lambeth DataNet?
For those of you who have not heard of Lambeth DataNet, DataNet is a resource that uses anonymised patient data from GP practices to enable us to assess needs, plan and provide better health care to everyone in the area. DataNet is a joint venture between South East London Integrated Care Board (SEL ICB), Lambeth’s Local authority, and Kings College London (KCL) which aims to support the health system in Lambeth by promoting research and intelligence to improve health and provide more equitable care within our community, through a locally driven, standardised, high quality data set.
The latest published findings using DataNet
1. Primary care health screening in patients with severe mental illness: What influence do financial incentives have? (2025)
This study found that the provision of financial incentives was associated with improved health screening in patients with severe mental illness. However this effect was lessened when incentives were withdrawn. https://journals.plos.org/mentalhealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmen.0000185
2. Primary care consultation modality and acute mental health service use in adults (2026)
This study found an association between use of remote consultations and an increase in emergency contact with mental health teams. No association was found between remote consultation use and psychiatric admissions. https://www.nature.com/articles/s44220-026-00605-9#Sec12
3. Statin therapy and stroke risk in patients with hypercholesterolaemia: a population-based longitudinal study using electronic health records in South London (2026)
This study found an association between prescription of statin therapy and a reduced risk of stroke with patients with hypercholesterolaemia. Statins were under-prescribed to women and patients of Black ethnicity, highlighting avoidable disparities in preventive care. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12916-026-04752-9
Public Health work
A series of topic focused briefing using Lambeth DataNet have been published. They provide key stakeholders, such as government, health, and policy makers, with up-to-date, evidence based information to guide decisions on health policies and responses. They help to communicate current and emerging health risk in chronic disease.
NHS Health checks study
Since the publication of the last bulletin the NHS Health Checks study has now been accepted for publication with more updated analysis in the British Journal of General Practice. The link to the full paper can be found here: Association of the NHS Health Check with all-cause mortality: a longitudinal cohort study in primary care | British Journal of General Practice. All-cause mortality risk was compared between those attending at least one NHS-HC (n=42,589) and those who did not (n=116,056) over a 14-year follow up period. Sociodemographic, geographic, and behavioural factors were adjusted using propensity score weighting. 63,347 participants (39.9%) were non-white and 100,825 (63.5%) lived in the two most deprived quintiles in England. Attendance at ≥1 NHS Health Check was associated with lower mortality (adjusted HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.63–0.74), indicating a 32% reduction in risk. Ten-year absolute mortality risk reduction increased with age, with the largest difference among those >70 years (18.1% vs 12.9%). Sensitivity analyses supported these findings. This study suggests significant long-term survival benefit associated with the NHS-HC, supporting continued investment in and optimisation of the programme to provide population health benefits. Findings were robust to missing data assumptions and COVID 19, though residual confounding cannot be ruled out.
Predictors of childhood vaccine study
A local study using pseudonymised data extracted from primary care systems with the support from Lambeth GP federation looked at the sociodemographic predictors of childhood vaccination (under the age of 5 years). Both uptake and timeliness were looked at. This study has also been published in the British Journal of General Practice –Predictors of childhood vaccination uptake and timeliness: a cross-sectional study in a diverse urban UK population | British Journal of General Practice. Of eligible children, 61.0% (N = 23 119/37 912) were fully vaccinated; of these, 60.8% (N = 14 062/23 119) were vaccinated on time. Lower uptake was associated with deprivation (most versus least deprived: adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.66, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.51 to 0.84), born outside the UK versus UK born (AOR 0.10, 95% CI = 0.08 to 0.12), and ethnicities other than White British (for example, Black Caribbean: AOR 0.30, 95% CI = 0.25 to 0.36). Children with clinical comorbidities had higher uptake (for example primary care-managed comorbidity: AOR 1.58, 95% CI = 1.46 to 1.71). Timeliness patterns differed: among those vaccinated, children born outside the UK and those from African, Caribbean, and Mixed ethnic backgrounds had higher odds of timely vaccination. A podcast of the paper is also available here: Episode 225: Delayed, declined, or disengaged? Understanding childhood vaccination patterns – BJGP Life
Want to know more?
If you’re interested in Lambeth DataNet research findings, would like to propose a research question, or would like more information on how Lambeth DataNet has been used in commissioning or policy, please email us at PublicHealth@lambeth.gov.uk