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Correction to COVID-19 case rates data

Between 10 April and 27 April, published rolling-average case rates for COVID-19 were incorrect due to an error in population estimates used to calculate these metrics. As of 4pm on 28 April, these have been corrected. More information.

BackEntry title:

Scarlet fever GP in-hours daily consultation rate 7-day moving average

Last updated on Thursday, 17 April 2025 at 03:27pm

Summary

Topic
Scarlet-fever
Category
syndromic
API name
scarlet-fever_syndromic_GPInHours_averageRolling7Day

Rationale

Monitoring trends in daily GP in-hours consultation rates can provide an early warning of human public health threats and provide detail to inform public health action. The 7-day moving average helps us identify any trends in the data, by smoothing day-to-day variation.

Definition

The metric reports the 7-day moving average of the daily GP in-hours consultation rate per 100,000 people, for scarlet fever at participating GP practices in England.

Methodology

The 7-day moving average is calculated by taking the average of the 3 days prior to, day of and the 3 days after, a given day. This metric is adjusted for highs and lows in the data that may arise from variation in daily activity caused by weekends and bank holidays.

Scarlet fever is identified from the diagnoses recorded during GP in-hours consultations. The diagnoses are based on signs and or symptoms and may not be lab confirmed.

The data presented are based on a sentinel syndromic surveillance system, not all GP practices in England are included. We receive an automated feed of anonymised GP in-hours consultation data from participating practices from 2 sources: The Phoenix Partnership (TPP) and Oxford Royal College of General Practitioners Clinical Informatics Digital Hub (ORCHID).

Caveats

Changes to national advice and guidance on access to healthcare services means trends should be treated with caution. The COVID-19 pandemic also involved updates and changes to service provision.

Not all GP practices in England are included in the data and coverage varies by location.

The most recent weekend is not included in the data, since data from ORCHID are currently only available up to the most recent Friday each week.

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