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Neonatal Data Analysis Unit

WHAT IS NDAU?
The Neonatal Data Analysis Unit (NDAU) is an independent academic unit based at the Chelsea & Westminster campus of Imperial College London.

It was established to oversee analyses arising from the neonatal electronic records, promote their best use, address data quality assurance and improvement, and facilitate applied and health services research. In addition, the NDAU analyse data for the National Neonatal Audit Programme (NNAP).

The NDAU Steering Board includes professional and health services representation from across the country. Core NDAU staff are a manager, data analysts and statisticians with additional research related personnel. The work of the NDAU is conducted with NHS Trust and Research Ethics approval as required. The NDAU complies with the National Statistics Practice and Protocol on Data Access and Confidentiality.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
In 2005, the re-organisation of newborn services into managed Clinical Networks and the need for patient data to be shared between NHS Trusts, led to the development of a common electronic system for the capture of data on all admissions to neonatal units. Formerly known widely as SEND (the Standardised Electronic Neonatal Data System), this is now termed the UK National Neonatal System. These electronic neonatal records, run on the Clevermed platform of the NHS net, are the only real-time newborn patient management systems worldwide, operating over a large geographically defined area. Usage has spread throughout the country to include all but a handful of neonatal units in England, and with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland committed to joining.

At the heart of the UK National Neonatal System is the standardised clinical dataset developed by the British Association of Perinatal Medicine. Patient data are static (collected only once), episodic, and collected daily throughout the in-patient stay. As data are drawn from populations of varying case-mix, disease severity, ethnic background and socio-economic status the records are a unique and rich resource, with considerable potential to facilitate health services evaluation, research and clinical trials, nationally and internationally.

The NDAU is funded through awards from the National Institute of Health Research, Department of Health, Neonatal Networks, research grants, commissions and unrestricted donations.

NDAU Board Members
Current Projects/Research
NDAU Reports

For details of the regulatory and approval processes, or for further information about our work, please contact:
Richard Colquhoun, NDAU Manager
NDAU Division of Medicine
Imperial College London
Academic Department of Neonatal Medicine
4th Floor, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital,
369 Fulham Road
London
SW10 9NH
Tel: +44 (0) 208 746 5841
E-mail: r.colquhoun@imperial.ac.uk