Table 1 Main data sources (i.e. dataset and audits) used in UK perinatal care settings in the National Health Service (NHS) that include routinely collected data relevant to clinical indicators or risk factors for avoidable perinatal brain injury associated to HIE.

Maternity Services Data Set (MSDS)^28,31,40

Commissioned by a national governing body (NHS England)

Single data source used in maternity care. Includes patient-level data about maternity services activities, funded and/or provided by the NHS in England, relating to mothers and babies, from the first antenatal appointment (booking) through to discharge from maternity services.

Data items and definitions are extracted from local electronic patient record platforms used in maternity units, and sent to NHS England for analysis.

2015–2019: MSDS version 1.5 (version 1.0 did not come into operation). 2019 to current: MSDS version 2.0, including mandated submission of all relevant maternity records.

Hospital Episode Statistics for Admitted Patient Care (HES APC)^29,41,42

Commissioned by a national governing body (NHS England)

Single data source used in hospital admissions. Described as a “data warehouse” with records of information on all NHS hospital admissions in England.

Data on “birth episodes”, i.e. any record that contains valid information about the mode of birth in either the HES “maternity tail” or the procedure fields. Data include patient demographics, admission and discharge dates, and diagnostic and procedure codes.

Established in 1989, currently in operation.

National Neonatal Research Database (NNRD)^19,43,44

Founded and managed by the Neonatal Medicine Research Group at Imperial College London

Single data source used in neonatal care. Holds clinical data routinely captured during all admissions to NHS neonatal units in England, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man.

Data are extracted from neonatal units using their electronic patient record platform. Only babies who are admitted to neonatal care will have an NNRD record.

Established in 2007, currently in operation.

National Maternity and Perinatal Audit (NMPA) from 2015 to 2017^20,30,45

Commissioned by a national clinical audit governing body (Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership), and led by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in partnership with the Royal College of Midwives, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Linked data source used for audit of NHS maternity services across England, Scotland and Wales, reporting on a suite of processes and outcomes of maternity and perinatal care.

Data include specific extracts of other data sources, i.e. electronic records from local maternity units (given that MSDS data was not yet available), linked with HES APC and the NNRD

1 April 2015 to 21 March 2017: extracts of NNRD data linked with extracts of local electronic patient record platforms used in maternity units

National Maternity and Perinatal Audit (NMPA) after 2017^20,30,45

As above for NMPA 2015–2017

As above for NMPA 2015–2017

Data include specific extracts of other data sources, i.e. MSDS and HES APC (linkage to NNRD not feasible)

1 April 2017 to 31 March 2019: extracts of MSDS version 1.5 linked with HES APC.

1 April 2019 to current: extracts expected to be used from MSDS version 2.0 and linked with HES APC

National Neonatal Audit Programme (NNAP)^20,47

Commissioned by a national clinical audit governing body (Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership), and delivered by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health

Single data source used in neonatal care. Holds clinical data required for the audit’s reporting that are routinely captured during all admissions to NHS neonatal units in England, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man.

Data are extracted from neonatal units using their electronic patient record platform. Only babies who are admitted to neonatal care will be included in NNAP outputs.

Established in 2006, currently in operation.