Fingertips is the definitive free public health tool. UKDataAPI adds CQC ratings, postcode queries, and API-native delivery for developers.
Fingertips is the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID, formerly Public Health England) public health data platform. It provides 1,700+ health indicators across 90+ profiles — from life expectancy and childhood obesity to mental health and sexual health prevalence. It's the primary tool used by local authorities, NHS commissioners, and public health researchers to understand population health. Fingertips is free, comprehensive, and well-maintained. But it's a web-based tool designed for manual exploration, not programmatic access. Its profiles are organised by topic, not geography, making postcode-level queries difficult. UKDataAPI's Health endpoint surfaces key Fingertips indicators alongside CQC care provider ratings and prescribing data, all queryable by postcode via API. For developers building health tech products, UKDataAPI turns Fingertips' manual profiles into API-ready data.
| Feature | UKDataAPI | Fingertips (OHID/PHE) |
|---|---|---|
| Public health indicators | Key indicators (life expectancy, obesity, smoking) | ✓1,700+ indicators across 90+ profiles |
| CQC care provider ratings | ✓Included — nearby GPs and hospitals | Not included (separate CQC data) |
| Postcode-level queries | ✓Enter a postcode, get health profile | Area-based — requires geography selection |
| Prescribing data | ✓Summary for nearby practices | Not included (separate NHS dataset) |
| Health inequality indicators | Key deprivation-linked indicators | ✓Comprehensive inequality analysis tools |
| Time trend data | Latest available snapshot | ✓Full historical time series |
| Benchmarking tools | Not included | ✓Area comparisons with confidence intervals |
| Data visualisation | Not included — data API only | ✓Interactive maps, spine charts, scatter plots |
| Output format | ✓Structured JSON API | Web tool + CSV/Excel export + basic API |
| Batch processing | ✓Up to 500 req/min | Bulk downloads via Fingertips API |
| Data aggregation with CQC | ✓Health indicators + provider ratings in one call | Fingertips data only — no provider info |
| AI agent access (MCP/x402) | ✓Native support | Not available |
UKDataAPI
From £0.005/call (summary) to £0.025/call (full). Pay-as-you-go. Free tier: 200 credits/month.
Fingertips (OHID/PHE)
Free. OHID open data platform. API available with basic rate limits.
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \ "https://www.ukdatapi.com/api/v1/health/SW1A%201AA?depth=full" # Returns: health indicators, CQC-rated nearby providers, # prescribing data, life expectancy, obesity rates # Cost: 24 credits (£0.05)
200 free credits. No contract. No credit card.
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