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About

The Administrative Data Research Centre Northern Ireland (ADRC NI) is a partnership between Ulster University and Queen's University Belfast.

The centre is part of the wider ADR UK network, a partnership between universities, government departments and agencies, national statistics authorities, funders and the wider research community.

ADR UK makes it possible for researchers to access information that has been collected by national and local government, as well as other public sector organisations. Whilst this data is collected for administrative or operational reasons it can be very valuable for research purposes as it contains a wealth of information about our society.

Therefore, by providing a secure and unidentifiable forum for researchers to access linked and unlinked government administrative data, such as education, census, health, and social care data, researchers can gain a better understanding of economic and social issues. This in turn can lead to improved public policy and better public services for everyone.

ADR UK

ADR UK is made up of four national partnerships: ADR Scotland, ADR England, ADR Wales and ADR Northern Ireland. These partnerships are coordinated by a UK-wide Strategic Hub and the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The ONS plays a crucial role in curating, linking and facilitating access to administrative data for researchers in a safe and secure form.

This structure allows each of the UK nations to have a dedicated centre and team, focusing on their individual policy needs while also enabling UK-wide research.

Benefits of Collaboration

The benefits of this collaboration are a closer working relationship between the generators and custodians of administrative data in governmental and other agencies, those that might use the data, and the policymakers who will benefit from further analysis of this data. Specifically, social researchers can use this data to analyse the impact of government policies or find new explanations for everyday issues.

The ADRC NI will also contribute to and lead wider public discussions around the use of data for research purposes for the public good. For example, in 2022, ADR UK organised focus groups to discuss public attitudes to data sharing across the UK, including in Northern Ireland. Additionally, ADRC NI is working to establish the Northern Ireland Public Data Panel (NIPDP) to consider data questions of public importance.

Projects

Below are some examples of projects undertaken through ADRC NI.

ADRC NI

  • Health service use and outcomes in later life: an examination of urban and rural health inequalities in Northern Ireland

    Led by Professor Gerry Leavey, Bamford Centre for Mental Health, Ulster University

    In an aging population, concerns about the provision of health and social care for older people are increasingly important.

    In a Northern Ireland context this study will provide an opportunity to examine late-life health inequalities related to service use.

    The findings of this study will inform health and social care policy and practice relating to early prevention and further identify trends in dementia and multi-morbid conditions.

    The findings will highlight areas of need for policy development in order to reduce hospital admissions and improve clinical pathways.

    The project team is working closely with a range of stakeholders, including the office of the Commissioner for Older People, and policymakers and practitioners in health and social care.

  • Childhood interactions with social services and risk of poor health and social outcomes in adulthood: a population wide data linkage study

    Led by Dr Aideen Maguire, Queen’s University Belfast

    This project will involve the linking of social services data (Social Services Care Administrative and Records Environment: SOSCARE 1985-2015) to a multitude of other data sets including census returns, prescribed medication data, hospital data, and the registry of self-harm and death records at an individual-level.

    This will allow the creation of the UKs first historical, population-wide cohort of individuals and enable research following individuals over a 30-year period to examine a range of outcomes including; receipt of psychotropic medication, psychiatric hospital admission, self-harm, employment status, educational attainment or death by suicide.

    This study is working closely with the Department of Health as well as key stakeholders working with children and young people.

    Background

    The study is housed at the Bamford Centre for Mental Health and Institute for Nursing and Health Research within Ulster University, and within the Centre for Public Health at Queen’s University Belfast.

    The project is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, now part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Research and Development Division of the Public Health Agency Northern Ireland.

Staff and collaborators

Ulster University

Queen’s University Belfast

  • Dr Aideen Maguire: Acting Director and Principal Investigator (Centre for Public Health, QUB)
  • Professor Ciaran O’Neill: Principal-investigator (Centre for Public Health, QUB)
  • Professor Duncan McVicar: Principal-investigator (Queen's Business School, QUB)
  • Professor Michael Donnelly: Principal-investigator (Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Science, QUB)
  • Professor Lisa Bunting: ADRC NI Principal-investigator (Social Sciences, Education & Social Work, QUB)
  • Professor Sarah Millar: Principal-investigator (Social Sciences, Education & Social Work, QUB)
  • Claire McLoughlin: Project Manager (Centre for Public Health, QUB)
  • Samantha Livingstone: Senior Project Administrator (Centre for Public Health, QUB)
  • Sian Ogle: Communications & Engagement Officer (Centre for Public Health, QUB)