About the North West SDE

Data saves lives. Everyday doctors, nurses, and other health and care professionals, use records to support and inform our care. Secure Data Environments use some of this information to improve access to data for research, enabling the development of better services for the future.

What is a Secure Data Environment (SDE)?

Secure Data Environments (SDEs) are data storage and access platforms. They uphold the highest standards of privacy and security for NHS health and social care data, when used for research and analysis. SDEs give approved users access to relevant health data for research and analysis on the platform.

The national Data Saves Lives strategy outlines how SDEs will improve health research.

What is the North West SDE?

The North West SDE is one of 11 regional SDEs, along with a national SDE, within the NHS Research SDE Network. These platforms will become the main route for accessing NHS data for research. More information is on the NHS SDE network page.

The North West SDE is a collaboration between three Integrated Care Boards covering the North West of England. More information is on the Our region page.

What is our vision?

We want to make a positive health and care impact for people in the North West through better use of their data.

How does it work?

The North West SDE team works closely with NHS colleagues, universities, and other experts, to provide secure data for clinical trials and studies.

Approved users are granted access to appropriate de-identified information. This process is carefully controlled by the NHS from start to finish to maintain the highest standards of NHS data security. More information is on the How data is protected page.

The SDE aims to provide researchers with a simplified process to access the information they need. Data will remain within the NHS and a standard process to access it is being developed. The North West SDE, working as part of a wider network of Secure Data Environments, aims to allow researchers to access data for research and innovations in a standardised way. The SDE network does not allow data to be shared with organisations – it gives researchers access to specific data for a fixed time period for an approved research question.

More detailed information, including FAQs, are available in the below sections on this website. We have divided content to make it easier to find what you are looking for:

What is our mission?

We want to develop an SDE that offers a well-designed and joined-up service, to the benefit of all in the North West, that is efficient, secure and impactful.

We want to:

• reduce barriers to access for health data
• reduce health and care inequalities
• improve health and care services
• develop public trust and acceptance of data use by managing data in a safe, legal and ethical way
• develop a self-sufficient data ecosystem
• improve research in the North West region.

What are our values?

• Diverse: we work with a wide range of people with different expertise and perspectives in the North West to achieve common goals.
• Open: we ensure open discussion to help improve understanding.
• Accountable: we believe in taking ownership and responsibility for our actions and their effects.
• Inclusive: we engage with the public and stakeholders to ensure decision-making is transparent and people feel included.