What is the North West Secure Data Environment?
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Explore the North West SDE with our team
The North West Secure Data Environment (North West SDE) provides secure, governed access to linked NHS data, supporting research, evaluation and innovation across the North West.
It is designed to make it easier for approved users to access and work with data safely and efficiently through a single, supported access route for research and innovation projects.
Who is it for?
The North West SDE supports a wide range of professional users, including:
- Universities and research organisations
- NHS research, analytics and innovation teams
- Life sciences and medtech organisations
- Digital health and AI companies working with NHS data
Why use the North West SDE?
The North West SDE supports research and innovation by providing:
- Secure access to linked NHS datasets
- A single, structured route to data access
- A more efficient and transparent process
- The ability to work across multiple datasets in one environment
- Support to help researchers navigate the access process
- Support from initial enquiry through to secure data access
How it works
To begin your enquiry with the North West SDE you will need to make an initial request through the main email address nw.sde@lthtr.nhs.uk. Upon receipt of your initial email our team will respond with some further info and the DARF (Data Access Request Form). The DARF is a nationally agreed request form you will need to fill in and return to us.
Once you have submitted your initial enquiry you will be contacted by a member of our team. At this stage we will review your request and discuss with you your requirements.
We will then:
- Assess the viability of your project
- Generate a pricing proposal
- Work with you to prepare your submission for the Data Access Committee(s)
At the point where you have accepted a pricing proposal and completed the Data Access Request form in full, your application will need to be quality assured, reviewed and verified to be presented at the Data Access Committee(s) (DAC). The DACs are a committee of subject matter experts and Patient and Public Representatives representing the three Integrated Care Boards (ICBs):
- Cheshire and Merseyside
- Greater Manchester
- Lancashire and South Cumbria
Dependent upon the content of the request, approval could be required from all three DACs.
Once steps 1 – 4 have been completed and your user and/or organisation registration and access has been approved we then move on to stage 5.
During this stage we will work through all of the documentation
and contracting agreements for:
- Integrated Governance (IG)
- Commercial
- Finance
Once all of the contracts and documentation have been agreed and completed, a high level summary of your project will be uploaded to the Data Use Register published on the North West SDE website.
At this stage the North West Data and Tech team will:
- Agree the final data specification
- Create your workspace where your data requirements will be made available within the SDE
- Give you access to your requested data
Upon closure of the project, the North West SDE team will:
- Archive the data
- Decommission the workspace and users
- Close financials
- Update the Data Use Register
Final decisions on applications are made by Data Access Committees.
For further information about the North West Secure Data Environment, who it is for, and how approved users can access linked health and care data for research, evaluation and innovation, please download the North West SDE brochure.
If you are exploring a project that requires secure access to linked NHS data, we would welcome a conversation.
The North West SDE team can support you from initial enquiry through to secure data access.