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The Clinical Informatics and Health Outcomes Group is a dynamic and dedicated team of researchers, SQL developers, statisticians and practice liaison officers who work with the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Research and Surveillance Centre to monitor and report on the incidence of common illnesses in the community. We extract and aggregate data from primary care computer systems and other parts of the health system for cross-sectional, cohort and case-control studies.

Having relocated to Oxford from the University of Surrey in 2019, we have a rich history of projects around how technology can enable quality and support the implementation of clinical governance. 

RCGP Research and Surveillance Centre (RSC)

Group Lead, Professor Simon de Lusignan, is Medical Director of the RCGP Research and Surveillance Centre (RSC), which utilises from an extensive network of more than 1900 practices to provide a timely picture of consultations by diagnosis with sentinel GPs in England. The RSC is the principal primary care surveillance system across England, offering a nationally representative sample.

The incidence data provides the College, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Department of Health and Social Care with early warning of changes in the incidence of common illnesses presenting to general practice surgeries, particularly important for illnesses such as influenza like-illness and incidence rates for acute illnesses, as detailed in the RCGP’s weekly Communicable and Respiratory Disease Report for England.

RCGP Workload Observatory

The Workload Observatory reports on trends in activity across a nationally representative network of general practices. It provides hard, near real time evidence on current workload levels as well as a picture of the complexity of cases that are increasingly being seen in general practice. This in turn will help drive national policy and inform national strategy.

Latest:

Pancreatic cancer could be diagnosed up to three years earlier

Cancer Infection, Respiratory and Acute Care

Pancreatic cancer could be identified in patients up to three years earlier than current diagnoses, new research suggests. Weight loss and increasing blood glucose levels are early indicators of pancreatic cancer and could lead to a more timely diagnosis, helping to improve survival rates.

Azithromycin and doxycycline are not generally effective against COVID-19 in patients treated at home, shows PRINCIPLE trial

COVID-19 Clinical trials Infection, Respiratory and Acute Care

Update from the Chief Investigators of the Platform Randomised trial of INterventions against COVID-19 In older peoPLE (PRINCIPLE), 25 January 2021

1,700 GP practices contribute patient data for Oxford COVID-19 research

COVID-19 Infection, Respiratory and Acute Care

Researchers have hailed a ‘fantastic’ response from more than 1,700 GP practices who have stepped forward to contribute patient data for vital COVID-19 research from the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences – tripling the amount of data available.

GP practices urged to join COVID-19 research

COVID-19 Clinical trials Infection, Respiratory and Acute Care

The Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) have joined forces with clinical system supplier EMIS Health to urgently recruit as many GP practices as possible for COVID-19 research.

Improving labour productivity in primary care

Digital health & innovation Health Services Research Infection, Respiratory and Acute Care

The Oxford RCGP Research and Surveillance Centre are to collaborate on Health Foundation-funded project.