Identify areas with higher proportions of people from at-risk groups

Hi all

We hope you, your loved ones and your colleagues are keeping as well and safe as possible at the moment. 

We have had a few requests for guidance on which datasets within Community Insight could be used to help inform responses to COVID-19 through identifying areas with higher proportions of people from at-risk groups.

Our Research Team has produced a list of datasets that may be useful covering:

  •  at-risk groups: including older people, underlying health conditions and benefit claimants for health and disability 
  • groups requiring additional support: including single-person households, households with no cars and prevalence of dementia
  • economic factors: (key workers and vulnerable sectors). 

These are all available in Community Insight England and can be used immediately. We have also made these available as a mini data download at MSOA level for England .  Please share with anybody that might find it useful.

There are also two new indicators available in Community Insight that could be useful:

  • Households on Universal Credit – Limited Capability for Work Entitlement: This captures those who are receiving Universal Credit due to poor physical or mental health. Universal Credit is increasingly replacing legacy work-limiting illness related benefits including Employment and Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit so it provides a more comprehensive measure of those out of work due to poor health and disability.
  •  Personal Independence Payment (PIP), respiratory disease claimants: This measures those who are receiving additional financial help to manage conditions associated with respiratory diseases including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis, pneumoconiosis, heart and lung transplants and various lung diseases and diseases of the upper and lower respiratory tract.

For a reminder on how to add indicators to your Maps, please see Customise themes and indicators. You can select which indicators appear on the Dashboard from within the dashboard itself using the  Build a custom dashboard functionality.

Many of you must be under enormous amounts of pressure at the moment. Please let us know via support@ocsi.co.uk  if there is any additional support we can give you during this time and we will do our very best to help.