Mental health data and analysis: a guide for health professionals
Guidance for commissioners and health professionals to make decisions about mental health services and interventions based on data and analysis.
Applies to England
Latest
Following the response to the health and social care statistical outputs consultation and further user engagement, the mental health and wellbeing joint strategic needs assessment (JSNA) profile was removed on 4 November 2025. Most of its structure and content is available in the new adult mental health and wellbeing and perinatal, children and young people’s mental health profiles.
Near to real-time suspected suicide surveillance (nRTSSS) for England statistical bulletin published with data from July 2023 to July 2025.
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) brings together data and analysis on mental health and wellbeing from across the health and care system, and produces resources to help improve services and outcomes. OHID also provides data and analysis to support action on suicide prevention.
This guidance is for commissioners, public health professionals and others involved in the local planning and provision of services that support people with mental health conditions. It should support them to use these resources to make or influence decisions about local services.
For further guidance and information about the tools and analysis, contact OHID’s national Mental Health Intelligence Team at mhit@dhsc.gov.uk.
Understanding mental health locally
The mental health profiles on the Fingertips website are designed to help commissioners and other health professionals understand the mental health needs and services in their local area.
The profiles bring together a wide range of publicly available data. The data is grouped by NHS geography or local authority. This means the profiles can be used to benchmark one area against another. They can also be used to see trends and compare indicators.
The profiles are also structured to support the development of mental health needs assessment.
OHID also analyses available mental health data and produces the intelligence resources detailed below to support health professionals with using the data to make or influence decisions about local services.
Severe mental illness
The adult mental health and wellbeing profile shows the prevalence and risk factors of severe mental illness (SMI). It can also be used to find out more about assessment, treatment and outcomes.
Common mental health conditions
The adult mental health and wellbeing profile shows the prevalence of common mental health conditions (CMHCs), including depression and anxiety disorders, and the risk factors for these disorders. It can also be used to find out more about assessment, treatment and outcomes locally.
There are indicators in this profile that are specific to CMHCs in older people.
Physical health of people with a mental health problem
The report on premature mortality in adults with severe mental illness presents analysis of the geographical variation in the premature mortality and excess premature mortality for adults aged 18 to 74 years with SMI in England.
The report on severe mental illness and physical health inequalities uses a sample of primary care data to examine prevalence of SMI by age, sex and deprivation in England. It also provides intelligence on the proportion of people with SMI experiencing one or multiple physical health conditions, and the inequality in this between patients with SMI and all patients by age, sex and deprivation.
The report on premature mortality during COVID-19 in adults with severe mental illness investigates premature mortality (deaths in those aged 18 to 74) during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic (January 2020 to March 2021) in people with SMI. It looks at premature mortality from all causes in people with SMI during the pandemic, how this differs across subgroups or regionally in England, and how this compares to premature mortality in people without SMI.
The report on inequalities in cancer screening uptake examines differences in the uptake of bowel, breast and cervical screening by people with and without SMI. These are the 3 national cancer screening programmes in England. This report is based on an analysis of a sample of primary health care data. OHID also worked with Surrey University to produce some more detailed follow-up analysis on inequalities in cancer screening participation between adults with and without severe mental illness.
The Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Audit data and improvement tool provides data on treatment indicators for improving the health of patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Eighteen primary care CVD pathway metrics for patients with SMI are included, with accompanying data guidance.
Perinatal mental health
The perinatal, children and young people’s mental health profile shows data on mental health in pregnancy and the postnatal period (2 years after birth). It shows data on demographics, risk and related factors, prevalence, and access to services. It includes indicators at local authority and NHS geographies level.
The perinatal mental health condition prevalence report explains the basis of the modelled prevalence estimates contained within the profile, presents the variation in prevalence across England and provides supporting information on how best to use the estimates.
Children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing
The perinatal, children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing profile can be used to understand the prevalence of children with, or vulnerable to, mental illness and what the risk factors are. It shows the range of health, social care and education services that support these children.
Children living with parents in emotional distress provides data on the proportion of children living with at least one parent reporting symptoms of emotional distress, by family type and work status. (Updates are currently paused while the methodology is under review.)
Population mental health and wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 mental health and wellbeing surveillance report presented close to real-time intelligence on the mental health and wellbeing of the population in England during the COVID-19 pandemic. The final version was published on 12 April 2022.
Suicide prevention
The suicide prevention profile brings together a range of data on suicide to show how often it occurs, the risk factors, and what contact people with increased risk have with services.
The suicide prevention profile updates page includes all updates. Some updates have an accompanying statistical commentary. The latest commentary introduces age and sex specific directly standardised suicide rates.
The near to real-time suspected suicide surveillance system for England is designed to act as an early warning system for changes in patterns of deaths by suicide to enable appropriate intervention. The report shows suspected suicide rates by age group and sex for the most recent 25-month period and data on suspected method of suicide for the most recent quarter.
Updates to this page
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Updated to reflect the removal of the mental health and wellbeing JSNA profile and the addition of new profiles on ‘adult mental health and wellbeing’ and ‘perinatal, children and young people’s mental health’. Removed links to out-of-date content on measuring the mental wellbeing of children and young people, and the psychosis data report.
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Updated the 'Latest publications' section with links to the latest data, the 'Perinatal mental health' section and the contact email address.
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Updated the 'Latest publications' with a link to 'Near to real-time suspected suicide surveillance (nRTSSS) for England' for the 15 months to August 2024.
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Updated the 'Latest publications' with a link to 'Near to real-time suspected suicide surveillance (nRTSSS) for England' for the 15 months to June 2024, together with latest update to the suicide prevention profile.
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Updated the 'Latest publications' with a link to 'Near to real-time suspected suicide surveillance (nRTSSS) for England' for the 15 months to April 2024.
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Added links to updated nRTSSS report and how to subscribe to our newsletter to receive news on product updates and new publications.
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Updated the 'Latest publications' with links to 'Suicide prevention profile update, May 2024' and 'Near to real-time suspected suicide surveillance (nRTSSS) for England' for the 15 months to January 2023.
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Updated the 'Latest publications' with a link to 'Near to real-time suspected suicide surveillance (nRTSSS) for England' for the 15 months to December 2023.
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Updated the 'Latest publications' with a link to 'Near to real-time suspected suicide surveillance (nRTSSS) for England' for the 15 months to October 2023.
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Information added on recently published reports including the near to real time suspected suicide surveillance system and the premature mortality during COVID-19 in adults with severe mental illness report
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Review of content and re-structure to bring information up to date and improve user journey.
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Updated the 'Latest publications' section.
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Update to the CTA box 'Latest publications', and small tweak to the wording of the first bullet point in 'Mental health and wellbeing: JSNA toolkit'.
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Updated to add information on new report 'Premature mortality in adults with severe mental illness (SMI), and details on updates to COVID-19: mental health and wellbeing surveillance report, SMI profile and 4 indicators on the proportion of children living with at least one parent reporting symptoms of emotional distress.
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Signposted to latest publications ('Inequalities in cancer screening uptake report' and 'COVID-19: mental health and wellbeing surveillance report'). Condition specific breakdown included for indicators showing premature mortality in adults with severe mental illness (SMI).
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Added information on 2 new indicators in the severe mental illness and mental health and wellbeing JSNA profiles.
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Added information on new COVID-19: mental health and wellbeing surveillance report.
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Updated information on 'Children living with parents in emotional distress' to refer to the latest 2019 update.
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Updated paragraph on suicide prevention profile to link to a new collection containing all updates.
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Added link to suicide prevention profile update and statistical commentary.
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Added reference and link to new report 'Severe mental illness (SMI) and physical health inequalities.'
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Added reference and link to new 'older people's mental health data catalogue'.
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Added a link to 'Children living with parents in emotional distress: 2010 to 2016'.
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Added link to 'Better mental health: JSNA toolkit' and knowledge guide.
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First published.