Guidance

Chief Knowledge Officer: introduction to the directorate

Published 15 April 2013

This guidance was withdrawn on

For information about PHE and our priorities, read about us.

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/chief-knowledge-officer-introduction-to-the-directorate/chief-knowledge-officer-introduction-to-the-directorate

1. Our mission

Our work ensures that decisions we make about our health, and the health of the population, are based on the best information and knowledge available and will deliver the best outcomes.

We will provide an internationally recognised, high performing knowledge and intelligence service including research, statistics and know-how. This knowledge will inform and support the practice of public health and drive improvements in the nation’s health.

2. Our approach

We are a source of knowledge and intelligence to Public Health England (PHE), partners and the local public health system. We provide leadership and support to all those who wish to make use of evidence to improve the health of their local populations. We use our expertise and those of partners to assist in PHE’s goal of transforming health in England.

3. Our priorities

The following priorities have been identified to support PHE’s wider priorities and also to support local authorities, the NHS and a wide range of partners and stakeholders to work together improve and protect people’s health and wellbeing.

  1. Understand and meet the needs of local government and local NHS: Working with local authorities and other partners in the public health system – health and wellbeing boards, NHS England, clinical commissioning groups, commissioning support units and others – is critical to the success of PHE. We will be offering specific knowledge and intelligence support to the local system and are currently developing a model to deliver this support.

  2. Develop a web portal to report and provide access to information and evidence: There are many high quality data and intelligence tools and sources of information. We aim to bring these together in one place via a portal on the PHE website.

  3. Build and develop health intelligence networks: We plan to build on the successes of existing intelligence networks, such as the National Cancer Intelligence Network and National End of Life Care Intelligence Network, both of which are now part of PHE. Intelligence networks bring together many stakeholders and partners, including patient representatives and members of the public, to drive improvements in health and care in specific health areas. We will be developing networks for child and maternal health, cardiovascular disease and mental health.

  4. Work with others to build and manage linked datasets that are safe and available for use: Linking data across PHE and with partners, such as the Health and Social Care Information Centre and Office for National Statistics, means that we will have much more powerful information with which to understand, advise and make decisions about the public’s health. This will be done fully within the law and with a robust information governance framework to ensure data is kept safe.

  5. Bridge the current gap in the translation of knowledge into action: PHE brings together organisations that produce a wealth of data and intelligence. We aim to improve how people use that data to take action on the ground, particularly in local areas. We will be promoting and supporting use of our data and intelligence so that local practitioners can act based on the best information available.

  6. Connect people to share experience: We aim to identify, map and connect users of health intelligence so that they can share their experiences, learning and best practice. Connecting people is just as important as connecting systems, and supporting people to use the systems will be an important part of our remit.

  7. Extend the use of surveillance to inform health responses: Surveillance is a core public health function that ensures the right information is available at the right time and in the right place to inform public health decisions and actions. We recently published our vision for a public health surveillance strategy for England. We will be building on this work in coming months, as well as developing how we present surveillance data.

  8. Assess priorities for public health research, and support and conduct it: With the support of our research and development division, and in collaboration with experts across PHE and beyond, we will be identifying public health research priorities that will support the delivery of key public health outcomes.

Find out more about the work of the Chief Knowledge Officer’s (CKO) Directorate below and online.

4. Our teams and specialist functions

5. Key resources

Below is a list of key online tools produced by the knowledge and intelligence and National cancer intelligence network (NCIN) divisions of the CKO directorate. This is not an exhaustive list but highlights the main national data tools produced.

5.1 Knowledge and intelligence division

5.2 National cancer intelligence network

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