IMS’ drug & alcohol related deaths (DARD) surveillance system is a complete package to monitor both DARD and mortality in treatment at a time when rates are at record levels. IMS has been developed in partnership with commissioners and service providers ensuring the system is responsive to local needs and captures information relevant to the local landscape and is operational in 20 local authorities across England, allowing for comparisons and benchmarking between different areas. IMS collates information on drug related deaths in a way which allows both treatment providers and other sectors to both input and view information using a secure web-based portal, ensuring that access is not restricted due to information being held on systems specific to a particular sector. It captures information on both deaths inside and outside of the treatment system, at record level. IMS gives commissioners, Public Health leads and others automatic notification of deaths as they occur without having to wait for aggregated reports, and the system links into a national network on drug related deaths which provides real time intelligence on DARD around the UK. Click to download this overview as a PDF document 

• Dedicated secure web-portal for capturing details of DARD, with unlimited accounts and permission levels.
• Access can be granted to single records for professionals who do not form part of regular panel membership.
• Automatic email notification to panel membership when new cases are entered on to system.
• Dashboard which provides summary information on cases entered onto system.
• Different organisations can work on the same record in order to provide a holistic overview of individual’s life prior to their death.
• Ability to export single cases to PDF which allows for integration with existing patient note systems.
• Document repository allowing relevant documentation to be attached to any record.
• Integrated reporting and geographical mapping.
• Integrated action log generated from panels.
• Visual prompts for cases with missing data or low completion.
• Repository for relevant local documentation to be linked to.
• Weekly updated repository of news stories, reports and media on DARD from national and international perspective.

• Liaison and dataflow (where agreed) with local coroners’ office(s) to capture details of deaths outside of the treatment system.
• Coordination and chairing of DARD panels, and support with establishing membership of panels.
• Management of panel notes and action log.
• Working with treatment providers and participating services to train staff and ensure information recorded reaches minimum completion and DQ standards.
• Production of quarterly DARD panel reports for each local authority area.
• Production of quarterly intelligence reports for each local authority area.
• Production of annual thematic report on DARD highlighting prevalence and trends.

IMS Online has been developed by the Intelligence and Surveillance Unit based within Liverpool John Moores University’s Public Health Institute. The Unit is commissioned to provide surveillance around its specialist areas of drugs, alcohol and injury prevention to local authorities and Police around England and Wales. The team includes staff with experience within the drug treatment sector and regional NDTMS teams. The team has expertise in the development of monitoring systems, online data collection tools and data quality and engagement, and every year works with hundreds of different stakeholders from a variety of sectors. PHI is a collaborating centre with the WHO for violence prevention.

For more information about us please see: ims.ljmu.ac.uk/about

This demonstration video shows two of the monitoring systems developed by the Public Health Intelligence Unit. Firstly and introduction to the Trauma and Injury Intelligence Group (TIIG), and the use of data to create 'Violence Reduction Data Hubs', and secondly (from 10:40) an overview of the IMS Drug & Alcohol Related Deaths portal.