Yesterday (7 April 2025) the government announced the creation of a new UK-wide Health Data Research Service.
The new service, established with the Wellcome Trust, will make it easier to securely access NHS data for use in vital health research.
Building on the recommendations made in the Sudlow Review, the new service will create a secure single access point for national data, and transform the health data ecosystem in the UK.
The announcement aligns with existing work being carried out by the Health Research Authority (HRA) and our partners to make it easier to do research using health data in a way that people can trust. It also recognises that, while access to patient data provides important insight for health and social care researchers, it is crucial that this information is handled properly to maintain trust.
The HRA plays a key role in the safe and ethical use of confidential patient information. Research Ethics Committees (RECs) independently review research proposals to ensure that identifiable data usage is ethically justified, necessary and proportionate. In addition, RECs assess whether appropriate safeguards are in place to protect participants' privacy, and they help ensure that research respects individuals' rights and maintains public trust.
The Confidentiality Advisory Group (CAG) also plays a regulatory role in reviewing research applications that are planning to use confidential information as part of their projects where consent is not feasible. It provides expert advice to the HRA that protects the interests of patients and the public in ensuring the use of identifiable information without consent is necessary, proportionate, and in the public interest, and that robust safeguards are in place to protect confidentiality.
In 2024 99% of applications reviewed by CAG were given a final outcome within their 60 day target.
Paul Mills, Confidentiality Advice Service Manager“Streamlining access to data will give researchers valuable insight that will help them better understand diseases and use it to develop better ways to diagnose, treat and cure health conditions.
“We must ensure that access to any NHS data is done in a safe and proportionate way that the public can trust.
“We are looking forward to working with the new Health Data Research Service to ensure that data continues to be used transparently to benefit everyone.”
During the announcement the government also pledged to cut the time it takes to get a clinical trial set-up to 150 days by March 2026.
The time taken to set-up a study is the period from regulatory approval, to the date of the first participant consenting to take part in a study.
Speeding up the set-up of research is one of the Health Research Authority’s key priorities, with progress being made over the past two years.
In 2023 as part of sector wide efforts to create a standardised approach to costing and contracting for commercial research, the National Contract Value Review (NCVR) reduced the average number of days taken to set-up research by over 100 days compared to data from 2019/20.
Janet Messer, Director of Approvals Service“As part of the UK Clinical Research Delivery (UKCRD) programme we are working hard to develop a more efficient standardised commercial contracting process for research.
“We are also working to remove unnecessary duplication of activities for a study at different sites, for example providing a single technical assurance for a study so it wouldn’t need to be repeated at each local site.
“We welcome the commitment from the government to reduce the number of days it takes to set-up research, and we will continue to play our part in achieving that goal.
“Alongside our work as part of the UKCRD programme we are also developing our digital systems to connect processes for health and social care research in the UK to help people work together to plan, approve, set-up, manage and complete research.”