The government announces new £600m Health Data Research Service (HDRS) in partnership with the Wellcome Trust
The Wessex Secure Data Environment (SDE) and Wessex Health Partners welcome the government's announcement of £600 million funding for a new Health Data Research Service (HDRS). This investment is set to deliver significant health benefits in Wessex and across the UK.
The new service, backed by £100 million from Wellcome and up to £500 million from the UK Government, will give approved researchers a single secure route to health data where personally identifiable information has been removed. The goal is to reduce barriers that researchers face by simplifying access primary care, hospital and mortality data sets. Harnessing combined data on a national scale will help researchers develop deeper insights into human health and disease, which leads to better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat conditions.
The HDRS builds on the work of the Wessex SDE and NHS Research Secure Data Environment Network. As part of the Network the Wessex SDE collaborates with 11 regional NHS-led SDEs and NHS England SDE to streamline access to over 7,000 existing access points, crucial foundational work which HDRS will build on.
As stewards of NHS patient data, the Wessex SDE will continue to lead regional work to accelerate access to NHS patient data for research, putting safety and privacy first. The SDE is committed to putting patients and the public at the heart of its work, ensuring trust is central to its development.
Insights from the Wessex SDE’s engagement with over 670 people from the region and NHS England’s recent nationwide engagement, involving over 4,000 individuals, are driving both the design of our Wessex SDE and the HDRS.
Professor Christopher Kipps, Programme Lead for the Wessex SDE, said: “This announcement represents a transformative advancement for UK health research infrastructure. We are proud to contribute to the development of the HDRS, accelerating vital health discoveries and delivering more effective patient care nationwide.”
The accouncement also touched on renewed efforts to accelerate clinical trials set up times - this will hugely benefit our local NIHR Wessex Commercial Research Delivery Centre, known as Wessex Research Hubs, and we are keen to see these improvements.
The Wessex SDE is supported by Wessex Health Partners, as one of our strategic initiatives and a showcase of partnership working. Christine McGrath, Managing Director, said: "It's vital to provide our researchers access to the information they need. And it's also vital to speed up clinical trials. These changes will help our region play a major role in the life sciences, and improve healthcare for local people - delivering on our vision for Wessex."
You can read more about the goverment's announcement here https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-turbocharges-medical-research
You can read more about the Wellcome Trust's annoucement here https://wellcome.org/news/national-data-service-will-simplify-access-health-data-research
You can still have your say on the direcion of our local plans here https://wessexsde.nhs.uk/have-your-say/
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