title: Numbers and policy in care for people with intellectual disability in the United Kingdom.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Statements or commitments making use of numbers have an important place in government policy. They appear at all stages of the policy process: campaigning, formulation, monitoring and evaluation. Many types of source are involved including research studies, national survey information, routine operational data collections and special systems devised to monitor particular initiatives.
  
  
  METHODS
  The paper presents examples of policy uses of numerical evidence, and some sources of data that have been used to support them in the field of care for people with intellectual developmental disability in England.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Different levels of precision or coverage are required at different stages of the process. Different types of numerical data are appropriate at the various stages of the policy process.
authors.affiliation: Public Health England, Institute of Public Health, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Gyles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Glover
mesh_terms: D006291:Health Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: health statistics; healthcare policy; intellectual disability; statistical data