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). In 2012, consent was sought for data linkage of health administrative records from the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) to survey data for cohort members in the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70). The main aim of this data linkage exercise is to enhance the research potential of the study, by combining administrative record with the rich information collected in the surveys. The 1970 British Cohort Study: Linked Health Administrative Datasets (Hospital Episode Statistics), England, 1997-2023: Secure Access contains information about all hospital admissions in England. The following linked HES data are available: 1) Accident and Emergency (A&E) The A&E dataset details each attendance to an Accident and Emergency care facility in England, between 01-04-2007 and 31-03-2019 (inclusive). It includes major A&E departments, single speciality A&E departments, minor injury units and walk-in centres in England. 2) Admitted Patient Care (APC) The APC data summarises episodes of care for admitted patients, where the episode occurred between 01-04-1997 and 31-03-2023 (inclusive). 3) Critical Care (CC) The CC dataset covers records of critical care activity between 01-04-2009 and 31-03-2023 (inclusive). 4) Out Patient (OP) The OP dataset lists the outpatient appointments between 01-04-2003 and 31-03-2023 (inclusive). 5) Emergency Care Dataset (ECDS) The ECDS lists the emergency care appointments between 01-04-2020 and 31-03-2023 (inclusive). 6) Consent data The consents dataset describes consent to linkage, and is current at the time of deposit CLS/ NHS Digital Sub-licence agreement NHS Digital has given CLS permission for onward sharing of the Next Steps/HES dataset via the UKDS Secure Lab. In order to ensure data minimisation, NHS Digital requires that researchers only access the HES variables needed for their approved research project. Therefore, the HES linked data provided by the UKDS to approved researchers will be subject to sub-setting of variables. The researcher will need to request a specific sub-set of variables from the Next Steps HES data dictionary, which will subsequently make available within their UKDS Secure Account. Once the researcher has finished their research, the UKDS will delete the tailored dataset for that specific project. Any party wishing to access the data deposited at the UK Data Service will be required to enter into a Licence agreement with CLS (UCL), in addition to the agreements signed with the UKDS, provided in the application pack. The Licensee shall acknowledge in any publication, whether printed, electronic or broadcast, based wholly or in part on such materials, both the source of the data and UCL. An example of an appropriate acknowledgement can be found here: https://cls.ucl.ac.uk/data-access-training/citing-our-data/.CLS Hospital Episode Statistics data access update July 2025From March 2027, HES data linked to all four CLS studies will no longer be available via the UK Data Service. For projects ending before March 2027, uses should continue to apply via UKDS. However, if access to a wider range of linked Longitudinal Population Studies data is needed, UKLLC might be more suitable. For projects ending after March 2027, users must apply via UKLLC. Latest edition informationFor the fourth edition (May 2025), all datasets have been updated to include data from financial year 2022-2023. The study documentation has also been updated to reflect this extended time period. The study includes linked administrative data and medical records.

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