Overview
MIDAS (Musculoskeletal Integrated Data and Analytics System) is a ground-breaking data integration programme hosted and led by Keele University in collaboration with Sheffield Hallam University, funded by the Nuffield Foundation and Versus Arthritis. It was developed as a Local Data Integration Pilot in North Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent to tackle one of the UK’s most pressing public health issues: musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions – a leading cause of disability, responsible for 8 million lost working days annually and 20% of total years lived with disability.
MIDAS linked patient – reported outcome measures with routine electronic health records and wider public datasets, creating a scalable, data-rich resource to understand and improve MSK care. With deep community engagement and support from a dedicated Patient Advisory Group, MIDAS has delivered insights and tools now informing national approaches to data-led healthcare planning.
The Challenge
MSK conditions affect millions in the UK, placing immense pressure on GPs, hospitals, and community services. Despite this, national health data systems often fail to capture the full picture of how MSK pain is experienced and managed at a local level.
Challenges include:
- Fragmented data across systems and sectors
- Limited insight into patient experience and outcomes
- Geographic and socioeconomic inequalities in care access
- Gaps in actionable intelligence for prevention and early intervention
MIDAS responded to these challenges by:
- Collecting over 5,000 patient-reported outcomes and linking them to health records across care settings
- Produced neighbourhood-level maps of musculoskeletal pain revealing substantial geographical variation and levels of high need within the same Integrated Care System, a ‘first in the UK’ finding
- Identifying trends in chronic pain, inequalities, and healthcare usage
- Generating data to inform more targeted, equitable, and sustainable care
Partnerships
Led by Keele University in collaboration with Sheffield Hallam University, MIDAS was a multidisciplinary and collaborative project involving:
- Nuffield Foundation and Versus Arthritis as funding and policy support
- Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, NHS primary care providers, hospitals, and community MSK services
- Local authorities and neighbourhood-level data providers
- A dedicated Patient Advisory Group, embedded throughout the project lifecycle
- Keele’s Impact Accelerator Unit, supporting public engagement and understanding how the research can be utilised in healthcare practce
This collaborative model allowed MIDAS to integrate academic research with real-world service design, empowering communities and frontline services.
Research
MIDAS produced one of the UK’s richest datasets on MSK pain and care, unlocking new research opportunities. Highlights include:
- First-ever granular maps of MSK pain prevalence within a single Integrated Care System
- Analysis of chronic pain trends between 2016/2017 and 2022/2023
- Evidence of socio-economic inequalities in the outcomes, care and patient experience of adults presenting to primary care with MSK pain condition
- Generated preliminary estimates of distribution of costs and carbon outputs associated with NHS care of MSK pain conditions
- Informing the evaluation of a new digital self-management intervention offered by first contact practitioners
- Produced a range of accessible tools and datasets for future musculoskeletal health intelligence and research
The project also generated learning around data collection methods, inclusion and bias, stakeholder needs, and public involvement in data-led research.
Impact
MIDAS is shaping conversations about the future of NHS MSK services and data strategy. Key impacts include:
- Policy influence: Informing the design of national audit tools and care models
- Health equity: Exposing inequalities to drive more targeted intervention
- Innovation: Supporting digital tools for MSK self-management in primary care
- Public engagement: Strengthening PPIE in data research, with co-produced resources to assist healthcare decision makers
- Scalability: Providing a working model for integrated, AI-ready health intelligence systems in defined local populations
- Legacy: Provided the foundations for new funded study focusing on musculoskeletal conditions in underserved populations
Through MIDAS, Keele University and its partners have demonstrated how better use of health data can lead to more responsive, inclusive, and effective care, with lessons for healthcare systems across the UK and beyond.
