Objectives: We sought to work collaboratively with public health stakeholders who use evidence in their work to identify practical ways that cross-sectoral data sharing and linkage could be used to best effect to improve health and reduce health inequalities. Methods: We undertook three sequential stakeholder workshops with participants from local and central government, public health teams, Health and Social Care Partnerships, the third sector, organisations which support data-intensive research, and public representatives from across Scotland. The workshops were informed by a scoping review on use of evidence in public health policy and practice, searching Medline, Scopus, SSCI, and key institutional websites, and by three case studies of existing cross-sectoral linkage projects. Details of data collection: The data collection comprises de-identified transcripts of stakeholder workshops and a copy of the visual map produced as part of the workshops. Stakeholders comprised people We held workshops to bring together people working in public health practice; in policy sectors potentially relevant to health; and in information governance, infrastructure and/or support for data and research; as well as a number of public representatives. Potential attendees were identified through a stakeholder mapping exercise with the project advisory group, followed by review of relevant organisational websites and advice from gatekeeper organisations such as Administrative Data Scotland.Background Secondary data from different sectors can provide unique insights into the social, environmental, economic, and political determinants of health. This is especially pertinent in the context of whole-systems approaches to public health, which typically combine cross-sectoral collaboration with the application of theoretical insights from systems science. However, sharing and linkage of data between different sectors to inform healthy public policy is still relatively rare. Previous research has documented the perspectives of researchers and members of the public on data sharing, especially healthcare data, but has not engaged with decision-makers working in public health practice and public policy. Objective(s) We sought to work collaboratively with public health stakeholders who use evidence in their work to identify practical ways that cross-sectoral data sharing and linkage could be used to best effect to improve health and reduce health inequalities. Methods We undertook three sequential stakeholder workshops with participants from local and central government, public health teams, Health & Social Care Partnerships, the third sector, organisations which support data-intensive research, and public representatives from across Scotland. The workshops were informed by a scoping review on use of evidence in public health policy and practice, searching Medline, Scopus, SSCI, and key institutional websites, and by three case studies of existing cross-sectoral linkage projects. Findings were synthesised using thematic analysis. Setting and scope Scotland; public and third sector data.
Three sequential stakeholder workshops, carried out online via Microsoft Teams, with 20 participants. Participants comprised representatives from local and central government, public health teams, Health & Social Care Partnerships, the third sector, organisations which support data-intensive research, and public representatives. Participants were recruited based on stakeholder mapping with the project advisory group, review of relevant organisational websites, and advice from gatekeeper organisations such as Administrative Data Scotland. Each workshop lasted three hours and consisted of a mix of whole group and breakout room activities, including presentations, facilitated discussions, and participatory tools such as live polling. Workshops were supplemented by scoping review and case studies.
