Lothian Public Health Survey 2023

The Lothian Public Health Survey is a major research study commissioned by NHS Lothian and the University of Edinburgh.

To access the survey

Please click on this link: https://survey.natcen.ac.uk/lphs

Then enter your unique access code in the blue box and click ‘Next’ at the bottom of the page.

About the study

The Lothian Public Health Survey is a major research study commissioned by NHS Lothian and the University of Edinburgh. It is crucial to obtaining an accurate picture of the health and wellbeing of people who live in Edinburgh and the Lothians area.

If you have received a letter inviting you to take part you will find a link to the survey and your unique access code in the letter.

The survey closes in April so there is time to take part.

Your experiences, opinions and information are important. We want to ensure that everyone is represented so that improvements in health and wellbeing services across Lothian are based on the needs of the entire population.

What does taking part involve?

The survey involves a short, online questionnaire that should take no more than 15 minutes to complete. We will ask you some questions about your overall health and wellbeing, your daily life, your access to health services, the place you live and questions about other things that might influence your health. This is to help the research team understand how people feel about their current health and allow NHS Lothian to make changes to improve the health and wellbeing services to better help those that use them.

Why have I been invited to take part?

Your name was chosen at random from Lothian adult residents on the Community Health Index. This is a database of all patients registered with the NHS in Scotland. The results from the survey will be used to improve healthcare and related services for people living in Lothian in the future.

Do I have to take part?

Your views are important to us, but taking part is entirely voluntary. If you feel uncomfortable answering a question, you can leave it unanswered and move onto the next one. By completing and returning the questionnaire, you provide consent for us to use the data you provide for our research.

Can someone help me fill in the survey?

Yes. You can ask for help (e.g. from a friend or relative) but please make sure the answers are only about you and your experiences.

Will my taking part be kept confidential?

We take our responsibility to keep personal information secure very seriously. Your data will be processed in accordance with Data Protection law and you will remain anonymous in any research outputs. All information collected will be kept strictly confidential. Your name and address will only be used by ScotCen for the purposes of contacting you about this important research and will not be included in the research dataset. Your name and street will not be passed on to the research team unless you consent to follow-up research. Your data will be referred to by a unique participant number rather than your name and only your council area and postcode will be included with your survey answers.

What will happen to the results of the survey?

Your answers – and those from others – will provide an overview of the health and wellbeing of people living in your council area and the wider Lothian region. This study will help to build a picture of the health and wellbeing of Lothian residents and the data will be used for research and planning purposes only. The results of this study will be summarised in academic journals and academic or NHS reports and presentations.

What happens if I change my mind?

If you would like to withdraw your data after completing the survey, you can do so up until the end of May 2023 by contacting ScotCen who will then remove and destroy the data you have provided. After this time, your data will be anonymised meaning that it will not be possible for NHS Lothian or the University of Edinburgh staff to identify your data in order to remove it. More details can be found in the privacy notices for NHS Lothian and the University of Edinburgh which are available on the research website, accessed here: services.nhslothian.scot/LothianPublicHealthSurvey

Who is organising and funding the research?

The Scottish Centre for Social Research (ScotCen) is carrying out the survey on behalf of NHS Lothian and the University of Edinburgh. This research is funded by NHS Lothian and has been approved by the NHS Local Research Ethics Committee Nottingham 1 ref 22/EM/0227.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about the study please email LPHS@scotcen.org.uk

or call Freephone 0800 652 0601.

What if I have a complaint about the study?

Please contact the University of Edinburgh’s Research Governance team via email at: resgov@accord.scot. If you wish to raise a complaint on how we have handled your personal data, contact our Data Protection Officer at dpo@ed.ac.uk who will investigate the matter.