NHS Digital has set up a Trusted Research Environment (TRE) service to give researchers secure access to health data for analytics through a remote platform.
The service provides access to health datasets in a secure environment for trained and vetted researchers, with the ability to link these for research.
It incorporates the Five Safes framework for data governance, which provides the basis for the safety of projects, people, data, settings and outputs.
NHS Digital has highlighted the potential of TRE to support Covid-19 research and said that Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) - the national institute for health data science – and the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Data Science Centre have become the first to use it for the purpose.
Their team is currently researching the effects of cardiovascular diseases on patient outcomes and the impact of Covid-19 on the diagnosis, management and outcomes of cardiovascular diseases.
Professor Cathie Sudlow, director of the BHF Data Science Centre, said the TRE can give its researchers access to high quality datasets and analytical tools.
Influx of projects
Brian Roberts, head of the TRE for England at NHS Digital, said: “Covid-19 has generated an influx of research projects coming into NHS Digital. These requests are to either use our data or link it to answer data questions that aim guide national decision making, look at potential interventions and reduce the severity of outcomes.
“We want to provide rapid, safe and trustworthy access to essential health and care data for timely research at scale. It’s a key part of NHS Digital’s strategic vision and gives our customers prompt and safe access to data alongside our existing data dissemination services.
“The TRE is evolving and our partnership with HDR UK will allow us to provide an adaptable service that supports all our users’ needs in a safe and secure way.”
Image from iStock, Brian A Jackson
