The Factors that Affect Health Status and Patterns of Ill Health
P3: Describe current patterns of health and how they are monitored –

Patterns of ill health in the UK are monitored through the use of statistics. The UK National Statistic organisation is responsible for producing these statistics in order to illustrate and identify patterns of ill health within the UK. Government statistical departments play a vital role in identifying and monitoring patterns of ill health in the UK, of which include:

• The Department of Health
• Health and Safety Executive
• NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care

Statistics can be collected from records such as birth certificates, the death register and hospital admissions records. Records can be used for further analysis in order to gain more specific information, for example the weight of a new-born baby, or the reason an individual was admitted into hospital. The government has made the use of having these records available a legal requirement so that the statistics may be available when they are required. Statistics can be collected through the use of surveys, i.e. the national census of which is held every 10 years in the UK by the government. The national census survey has been in place since 1801 and takes into account each individual within a household. It is able to provide an outline of the UK which enables us to compare geographical areas. However statistics are not always accurate for what they represent, as there will always be information on illness which may not be reported therefore the statistics can only provide a general idea on what health in England is actually like.

Patterns of ill health can also be identified through other means, such as using reports; one such example includes the Black Report which took place back in 1980, and discovered that there were gross inequalities in