The NHS only allows SDE users to access de-identified versions of health and social care data. This means they never see people’s personal information, such as their name, date of birth, address or NHS number.

All projects are reviewed and approved by Data Access Committees to ensure they provide sufficient public health benefits.

Only users who have been trained and accredited will be authorised to use data.

Only research projects and users who have been approved, can access the SDE. They are unable to remove anything from the SDE and can only analyse data on the system.

The NHS checks and approves all research findings from the SDE to maintain data confidentiality before they can be published.