Government announce single access point for NHS data to support researchers
The UK Government, in partnership with the Wellcome Trust, has announced a new £600 million Health Data Research Service that will give scientists quicker and safer access to large-scale NHS datasets.
The new system is intended to reduce the time it takes to set up clinical trials to 150 days (it was over 250 days in 2022), remove duplication, streamline applications and bring together datasets. Data will be held securely, with strict safeguards to protect patient privacy and anonymity.
John-Arne Røttingen, Chief Executive of Wellcome, says:
“The new service will give researchers a way to easily harness the data held across different parts of the NHS. The simpler it is to analyse data or identify patients to join clinical trials, the more quickly we can improve our understanding of illness and develop new treatments.
Providing a single, secure service for approved researchers will take away the significant overhead associated of locating, accessing and comparing disparate datasets. It will create opportunities for patients to access new treatments through trials that would otherwise have been hard to arrange or conduct.”
You can find out more here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-turbocharges-medical-research