CUREd+ Centre for Urgent and Emergency Care Research Database

Overview of CUREd+
CUREd+ is a unique research database that links patient records from different NHS sources, including ambulance and hospital data, at an unprecedented scale. The database contains over 1 billion unique episodes of Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC) between 2011 and 2023. This enables researchers to gain a comprehensive understanding of patient journeys through UEC, providing valuable insights to improve service delivery, patient outcomes, and policy decisions. The database is currently approved until June 2026, but applications are underway to extend this.

History
CUREd+ builds upon the foundations laid by the original CUREd research database, developed by the University of Sheffield, containing data from UEC providers, including Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS), NHS hospital trusts, and mental health services. The data spanned from 2011 to 2017 and enabled critical research into patient flow through these services.
The renewal of CUREd involved significant amendments to expand its scope and impact. The establishment of CUREd+ has introduced key improvements, including:

Incorporating data up to 2023
Expansion of hospital data coverage to all of England
Inclusion of updated linked ambulance service data, now incorporating electronic patient records
Addition of death registration data to support mortality-related research.
Standardisation of hospital data formats to enable more robust research analysis.
NHS England plays a key role in providing hospital data and facilitating the linkage process, ensuring high-quality and comprehensive data integration. Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) remains a crucial data provider, contributing ambulance service records that enhance the understanding of patient care pathways.

The Aims of CUREd+
All research using data from the CUREd+ database must be focused on one or more of these aims:
-Identifying and characterising the pathways of specific cohorts of patients before they enter the UEC system and their journey through it.
-Understanding factors influencing UEC entry, including when, how, and why individuals from specific cohorts access urgent and emergency care.
-Analysing performance indicators and quality measures, such as response times, waiting times, and risk-adjusted mortality rates.
-Investigating demand management strategies, including the role of NHS 111 and other interventions designed to reduce avoidable attendances and admissions.
-Examining the use of the urgent care workforce, including nurse practitioners and advanced paramedic practitioners, to assess workforce efficiency and impact.

Data Sources
CUREd+ integrates data from multiple NHS sources to provide a comprehensive view of urgent and emergency care. Key data sources include:
Hospital Data: Provided by NHS England, covering Accident & Emergency, hospital admissions, outpatient care, mental health services, demographic data, and death registry records.
Ambulance Service Data: Supplied by Yorkshire Ambulance Service, incorporating emergency call records, NHS 111 interactions, and electronic patient records.

Funding
CUREd+ is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Yorkshire and Humber Applied Research Collaboration and the Yorkshire and Humber Secure Data Environment.
Additionally, the staff costs associated with managing CUREd+ and creating data extracts are recovered from research projects when data access is granted. This funding model ensures the sustainability of the database while supporting high-quality research.