Introduction
We describe the protocol for a project that will use linkage of routinely-collected NHS data to answer a
question about the nature and effectiveness of liaison psychiatry services in acute hospitals in England.
Methods and analysis
The project will use three data sources: i) Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), a database ...
Introduction
We describe the protocol for a project that will use linkage of routinely-collected NHS data to answer a
question about the nature and effectiveness of liaison psychiatry services in acute hospitals in England.
Methods and analysis
The project will use three data sources: i) Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), a database controlled by NHS
Digital that contains patient data relating to emergency department, inpatient and outpatient episodes at
hospitals in England; ii) ResearchOne, a research database controlled by The Phoenix Partnership (TPP) that
contains patient data relating to primary care provided by organisations using the SystmOne clinical
information system; and iii) clinical databases controlled by mental health trusts that contain patient data
relating to care provided by liaison psychiatry services. We will link patient data from these sources to
construct care pathways for patients who have been admitted to a particular hospital and determine those
patients that have been seen by a liaison psychiatry service during their admission.
Patient care pathways will form the basis of a matched cohort design to test the effectiveness of liaison
intervention. We will combine health care utilisation within care pathways using cost figures from national
databases. We will compare the cost of each care pathway and the impact of a broad set of health-related
outcomes to obtain preliminary estimates of cost-effectiveness for liaison psychiatry services. We will carry
out an exploratory incremental cost-effectiveness analysis from a whole system perspective.
Ethics and dissemination
Individual patient consent will not be feasible for this study. Favourable ethical opinion has been obtained
from the NHS Research Ethics Committee (North of Scotland) (REF: 16/NS/0025) for Work Stream 2 (Phase 1)
of the LP-MAESTRO study. The Confidentiality Advisory Group at the Health Research Authority determined
that Section 251 approval under Regulation 5 of the Health Service (Control of Patient Information)
Regulations 2002 was not required for the study “on the basis that there is no disclosure of patient identifiable
data without consent” (REF: 16/CAG/0037).
Results of the study will be published in academic journals in health services research and mental health.
Details of the study methodology will also be published in an academic journal. Discussion papers will be
authored for health service commissioners
