ADR Wales
This has been a year of growth, change and achievement for ADR Wales. Building on the success and sense of unity generated through hosting the ADR UK Conference 2025 in Cardiff, we have continued to strengthen our position and ambition for the future.
Recognising the people who shaped this year
Throughout the year, we have celebrated the well-deserved recognition of colleagues who have received a range of awards, honours and accolades, reflecting the exceptional talent and dedication across our team.
We also marked an important leadership transition with the retirement of Co-Director David Ford. David’s vision and stewardship helped establish not only ADR Wales but the wider data science research community in the strong position it enjoys today, and we are immensely grateful for his contribution. At the same time, we have welcomed a new leadership team, with Lucy Griffiths and Simon Thompson joining existing Director Stephanie Howarth. Together they bring a powerful combination of strengths in government engagement, technological innovation and security, and academic excellence, creating an exceptional platform from which to deliver our ambitions.
Delivering research that makes a difference
This renewed leadership comes at a pivotal moment as we look ahead to the 2026-2031 funding period with confidence, excitement and a wealth of opportunities. Across all our themes of work, we have maintained a strong record of delivery, producing research and insights that have informed government policy and supported our partner organisations.
Building skills and expanding data for research
ADR Wales has continued to build capability across sectors by helping organisations make better use of their data. Key initiatives include the successful secondment of staff from Shelter Cymru into academia and the contributions of ADR Wales colleagues working within Welsh Government to support local authorities in developing their data expertise. We were also delighted to welcome another cohort of interns during summer 2026, including, for the first time, interns placed directly within government teams.
Alongside these developments, we have made significant progress in acquiring important new datasets, including PAYE data and data on Adults Receiving Care and Support in Wales. This work is creating valuable new opportunities to enhance research, improve understanding and deliver impact for the people of Wales.
This year has highlighted the significant contribution that data-driven research can make to public understanding and policymaking. ADR Wales has continued to produce robust, high-quality evidence across a diverse range of social, economic and health issues, working in close collaboration with academic, government and third-sector partners. The strength of our research portfolio, combined with our commitment to excellence and impact, ensures that we remain at the forefront of addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing Wales and beyond.
The ability to generate meaningful insight depends upon secure, trusted and innovative data infrastructure. Over the past year, ADR Wales has continued to enhance the technical capabilities that enable world-leading research, while expanding access to strategically important datasets and maintaining the highest standards of security and governance. These investments are strengthening Wales’ data research ecosystem and creating new opportunities to deliver evidence that supports better outcomes for society.
As we prepare for the next phase of ADR Wales, this year has demonstrated the enduring value of strong partnerships between government, academia and the wider public sector. Our work has continued to inform policy development, strengthen analytical capability and support evidence-based decision-making across Wales. Through sustained collaboration and a shared commitment to public good, we are ensuring that data and research play an increasingly important role in shaping effective policy and improving lives.
ADR Wales research spotlight: Understanding endometriosis and the gender health gap
Despite growing awareness of health conditions that disproportionately affect women, persistent inequalities in healthcare can lead to delays in the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions. This can have consequences for women’s quality of life, wellbeing, education, employment, and family life.
To help address this challenge, a new ADR Wales research project is exploring endometriosis in Wales and examining the factors associated with differences in diagnostic pathways, treatment, and outcomes.
Endometriosis is a common condition affecting women and those assigned female at birth, yet it is often difficult to diagnose, and symptoms may be overlooked, normalised or dismissed. Through this project, researchers are using linked, anonymised health and administrative data to better understand the experiences of women in Wales who have been diagnosed with the condition.
A key strength of the project is its collaborative approach. We established an advisory group to guide the research from the outset, bringing together healthcare professionals from NHS Wales, Welsh Government policy and analytical colleagues, academic experts, and, crucially, people with lived experience of endometriosis. This co-production approach ensures that the research addresses the questions that matter most to those affected and supports the development of meaningful, impactful outputs.
Using population-scale linked data, the team will examine patterns of endometriosis diagnosis across Wales and explore how diagnoses vary by age, ethnic group, education, location, and household circumstances. Working closely with the advisory group, researchers are developing a robust, reproducible method to identify women diagnosed with endometriosis and to explore trends over time.
The project will also examine the healthcare journeys women experience before receiving a diagnosis, helping to identify potential barriers, delays, or inequalities within the system. By understanding these pathways, the research aims to provide evidence that can support improvements in services and policy.
This work is led by ADR Wales’ Ymateb (meaning “response”) team, and reflects our commitment to delivering high-quality, policy-driven research that addresses issues of national importance. By generating evidence to support decision-making across Welsh Government, ADR Wales, and the wider ADR UK network, the project has the potential to contribute to more equitable healthcare and better outcomes for women in Wales.
Ultimately, the findings will help inform discussions about women’s health, wellbeing, and health equity, supporting efforts in policy and practice to ensure that women receive timely diagnosis, appropriate care, and the support they need to live healthy lives.
ADR Wales data spotlight: Making primary care data research-ready for Wales
Every day, general practices (GPs) across Wales record millions of patient interactions, creating a rich source of information that can help researchers understand health needs, evaluate services, and inform better policy and practice. However, working with large-scale primary care data can be complex and time-consuming.
To address this challenge, the ADR Wales Ymateb team has developed the Research-Ready Data Asset for the Wales Longitudinal General Practice dataset (RRDA-WLGP). This is a major step forward in making de-identified primary care data easier to securely access and use for research within the SAIL Databank.
By transforming raw source data into a structured, cleaned and curated format, the RRDA-WLGP creates a trusted resource that researchers can use more efficiently and consistently. The asset supports large-scale analysis of healthcare utilisation, disease trends, patient interactions and service delivery, while comprehensive clinical code look-ups help users better understand and interpret the data.
The team is now working with colleagues in SAIL Databank to support adoption of the asset through SAIL's Derived Data Policy. Once adopted, approved research projects will be able to access the RRDA-WLGP alongside the original WLGP data, providing greater flexibility and reducing duplication of effort across studies.
This work represents a significant contribution to the research community in Wales. By creating a maintained, reproducible and reusable data asset, ADR Wales is helping to simplify the researcher journey and enable more impactful research at scale.
The project also reflects ADR Wales' commitment to improving access to administrative data for research in the public good. Ultimately, making high-quality primary care data more accessible and easier to work with will support future studies that help improve health services and outcomes for people across Wales.
ADR Wales data spotlight: Demonstrating the wider value of science education through linked data research
This year, ADR Wales analysis has highlighted the wider benefits of science education. The work demonstrates how collaborative, evidence-led research can challenge established assumptions and inform education policy discussions in Wales and beyond.
For many years, educational policy and post-16 progression pathways have placed significant emphasis on attainment in Mathematics and English. These subjects are frequently used as key indicators of future academic success and are often central to decisions about further study opportunities.
However, the ADR Wales Education team recognised an important evidence gap: while science education is commonly viewed as a route into scientific careers, less is known about whether the skills developed through science learning support achievement across a broader range of academic subjects.
The team set out to explore whether success in GCSE Science could be linked to educational outcomes beyond the traditional STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) pathway. Drawing on ADR Wales' expertise in securely linking and analysing administrative data, the research team conducted a large-scale study involving more than 8,000 pupils. By linking educational records, the teams were able to examine the relationship between performance in GCSE Science at age 15 and subsequent attainment across six popular post-16 subjects: Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, History and English Literature.
The analysis enabled the team to move beyond assumptions and generate robust evidence about the predictive value of science achievement for later academic success. While it was expected that strong GCSE Science performance would be associated with success in science-based A-level subjects, the findings revealed a much broader impact. Pupils who achieved highly in GCSE science were also more likely to attain stronger grades in humanities subjects, including History and English Literature.
Most strikingly, the research found that:
- GCSE Science was a stronger predictor of later achievement in History and English Literature than GCSE Mathematics.
- GCSE Science predicted success in History more effectively than GCSE English or Welsh Language.
- The relationship between science attainment and future achievement extended well beyond STEM disciplines.
These findings challenge perceptions of science as a subject that is valuable primarily for its relevance to specific career pathways. The research shows that science education may build transferable skills that support achievement across a wide range of disciplines, raising important questions about how we measure educational success. If science attainment serves as a powerful indicator of wider academic potential, there may be opportunities to reconsider how science qualifications are recognised within progression frameworks and educational policy.
This work demonstrates the value of linked administrative data in generating new insights and challenging established assumptions. New evidence of the broader benefits of science education has the potential to inform a more nuanced understanding of student success and the skills needed for lifelong learning.
