Collection

Syndromic surveillance: systems and analyses

These syndromic surveillance systems provide information for public health action about the spread of illness across England.

Syndromic surveillance is the process of collecting, analysing and interpreting health-related data to provide an early warning of human or veterinary public health threats, which require public health action.

The UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) real-time syndromic surveillance team (ReSST) coordinates several national syndromic systems: we collect and analyse anonymised health data from several sources, looking for trends indicating higher-than-usual levels of illness and publish bulletins to keep public health professionals up to date.

Syndromic surveillance summary

This weekly summary of trends and important public health messages draws information from each of the UKHSA syndromic surveillance systems.

Remote health advice syndromic surveillance system

Monitoring patterns in phone calls to the NHS 111 service each day across England, to track the spread of infectious diseases like flu and norovirus. We examine call levels on a daily basis, and publish a weekly report.

These data can provide early warning of community-based infectious diseases.

GP in hours syndromic surveillance system

Monitoring the number of visits to GPs during regular surgery hours for known clinical indicators. We check consultation rates each day, and we publish a weekly report.

This system covers about 12% of England’s population.

GP out-of-hours syndromic surveillance system

Monitors the number of unscheduled visits and calls to GPs every day during evenings, overnight, on weekends and on public holidays. This system covers approximately 80% of the England population and complements the existing GP surveillance systems that cover daytime consultations.

We analyse the data on a daily basis, and publish a weekly report.

Emergency department syndromic surveillance system

The emergency department syndromic surveillance system (EDSSS) monitors the daily visits in a network of emergency departments across England (and Northern Ireland to March 2018). We analyse this data daily, and publish a weekly report.

National ambulance syndromic surveillance system

The national ambulance syndromic surveillance system (NASSS) monitors daily calls made to all 10 ambulance trusts in England.

Published 19 August 2014
Last updated 26 January 2024 + show all updates
  1. Added links to 2024 reports.

  2. Added links to weekly bulletins for 2023.

  3. Added links to weekly bulletins for 2022.

  4. Added links to weekly bulletins for 2021.

  5. Added the 5 syndromic surveillance system pages for 2020.

  6. Added new section for national ambulance syndromic surveillance system.

  7. Added the 5 syndromic surveillance system pages for 2019.

  8. Updated bulletins.

  9. First published.