A new way to provide safer, more secure and faster access to NHS data for research is being developed in the East Midlands. Part of a network of platforms covering England, the East Midlands Secure Data Environment will support approved life-saving and life-changing research.
NHS organisations, local authorities, universities and communities are working together to develop a new Secure Data Envionment for the East Midlands.
Secure Data Environments are being set up to securely store, analyse and protect NHS data so that it can be effectively used in research which improves patient care and develops new innovations to keep us healthier.
The East Midlands is one of 11 regional Secure Data Environments which together make up a national Network across England.
The East Midlands Secure Data Environment includes the following cities and counties:
The Secure Data Environment is a partnership between local NHS organisations, universities, specialist technology providers and frontline NHS and social care staff.
Across the East Midlands we are working with our local communities, citizens, patients and service users to make sure that the solutions we design are informed by you.
There are a number of improvements that Secure Data Environments will bring compared to the way NHS data is made available for research today.
These include:
Data is accessed in one place, rather than copied or shared amongst individual research projects
Data cannot be taken out of the protected environment. Researchers are able to analyse data within the virtual "walls" of the Secure Data Environment
Because Secure Data Environments will bring together data from multiple NHS organisations, it enables these different sources of data to be linked together, giving researchers a more complete picture of the health of the population as a whole
Approved access: researchers will need to apply and can only access the data if their project is approved by the NHS.
More efficient for researchers: instead of multiple copies of data being sent out to multiple researchers by every NHS organisation separately, researchers can access all of the availbale data they need in a single secure location.
Secure Data Environments will have to work to the highest privacy and security standards as well as comply with all data protection legislation and regulatory guidelines for research. This means protecting and safeguarding the identity of NHS patients and service users at all times.
Funding from NHS England was awarded to develop the Secure Data Environment solution for the East Midlands in 2023/24. This funding is part of the national Data for Research and Development programme.
Once it is fully established, the East Midlands Secure Data Environment will be managed by your local NHS organisations. The costs of maintaining the Secure Data Environment platform will be funded from fees and charges paid by research projects that are authorised to access and use it.
There is a dedicated programme team which brings together local expertise from the NHS, universities and technology providers and our communities. The programme is hosted by Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust
The work to develop the East Midlands platform is happening now and the aim is for it to be completed in 2025.