For Data Providers

Our Secure Data Environment is one of the UK’s national network of data storage and access platforms. We uphold the highest standards of privacy and security to keep NHS health and social care data safe, when it is being used for research and analysis.

We will only give approved users access to relevant health data for research and analysis, without the raw data leaving the East Midlands SDE.

We also comply with robust existing legal frameworks to keep data safe. At East Midlands SDE, we adhere to the Five Safes Framework, which is an internationally recognised system promoting the best practice in data security and privacy.

Through the organisation providing the SDE platform, the SDE can control many factors, including:

•       Who can be a user

•       The data that users can access

•       What users can do in the SDE environment, and

•       The findings of analysis that users can remove.

With our SDE, data will be processed on demand, and we are creating separate areas for preparing and analysing data. This will ensure a clear distinction between data preparation and the interpretation of results.

We are developing our operation incrementally to ensure the SDE platform meets the needs of researchers and remains supported by data controllers, our patients, and the public.

By making these gradual enhancements, we reduce the risks associated with large, complex programme changes. We are learning from our five early adopter projects, which will guide our progress throughout. Find out more about one of the projects by watching our video, by clicking here:

Find out about our plans to use data from thousands of NHS patients to power new research into better diagnosis and treatment of bowel cancer in the East Midlands. Watch our video by clicking here.