The 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70) is a longitudinal birth cohort study, following a nationally representative sample of over 17,000 people born in England, Scotland and Wales in a single week of 1970. Cohort members have been surveyed throughout their childhood and adult lives, mapping their individual trajectories and creating a unique resource for researchers. It is one of very few longitudinal studies following people of this generation anywhere in the world.Since 1970, cohort members have been surveyed at ages 5, 10, 16, 26, 30, 34, 38, 42, 46, and 51. Featuring a range of objective measures and rich self-reported data, BCS70 covers an incredible amount of ground and can be used in research on many topics. Evidence from BCS70 has illuminated important issues for our society across five decades. Key findings include how reading for pleasure matters for children's cognitive development, why grammar schools have not reduced social inequalities, and how childhood experiences can impact on mental health in mid-life. Every day researchers from across the scientific community are using this important study to make new connections and discoveries.BCS70 is run by the Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS), a research centre in the UCL Institute of Education, which is part of University College London. The content of BCS70 studies, including questions, topics and variables can be explored via the CLOSER Discovery website.How to access genetic and/or bio-medical sample data from a range of longitudinal surveys:For information on how to access biomedical data from BCS70 that are not held at the UKDS, see the CLS Genetic data and biological samples webpage.Secure Access datasetsSecure Access versions of BCS70 have more restrictive access conditions than versions available under the standard End User Licence (EUL). The BCS70 linked Scottish Medical Records (SMR) datasets include data files from the Information Services Division (ISD) part of the NHS National Services Scotland database for those cohort members who provided consent to health data linkage in the Age 42 sweep.The SMR database contains information about all hospital admissions in Scotland. The following linked HES datasets are available:SN 8768: 1970 British Cohort Study: Linked Administrative Data, Prescribing Information System, Scottish Medical Records 2009-2015: Secure Access (PIS) SN 8769: 1970 British Cohort Study: Linked Administrative Data, Maternity Attendance, Scottish Medical Records 1984-2016: Secure Access (SMR02)SN 8770: 1970 British Cohort Study: Linked Administrative Data, Inpatient Attendance, Scottish Medical Records 1981-2016: Secure Access (SMR01)SN 8771 (this study): 1970 British Cohort Study: Linked Administrative Data, Outpatient Attendance, Scottish Medical Records, 1981-2016: Secure Access (SMR00)Researchers who require access to more than one dataset need to apply for them individually.Further information about the SMR database can be found on the Information Services Division Scotland SMR Datasets webpage. Health; operations; medical records; outpatients

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