From data to discovery to better health

The Health Data Research Service will enable approved researchers to access UK health data safely and securely, helping accelerate discoveries that lead to better treatments and outcomes for patients.

Our Plan

our mission

Better health can’t wait

UK patients are waiting longer than they need to for medical innovations and treatments that could be life-changing.

HDRS is here to change that. We are creating a single, secure gateway to the UK’s health data, giving approved researchers faster, secure, access to the data they need. This is a generational opportunity to make the UK a world leader in health data research, while maintaining the highest standards of data protection and public trust.

HDRS is here to enable better research and better healthcare – for patients, for researchers, for everyone.

A busy, crowded pedestrian street lined with ornate historic stone buildings.

progress

What HDRS makes possible

When health data sources are studied together, it reveals patterns and connections that would otherwise remain hidden. This helps improve care, develop new treatments and prevent illness.

HDRS will enable approved researchers to learn from health data, unlocking new insights and real-world benefits for patients.

About us

“Use MY data has been calling for the full power of our NHS health data to be unlocked, responsibly with the necessary guardrails in place, to drive forward health research, and most importantly, improve health outcomes for patients. HDRS will be the key to this.”

use MY data

patient led data advocacy movement

What this changes

For patients, researchers and everyone

Better healthcare

Health data research must deliver clear benefits for patients and the public. When information from across the health system can be studied responsibly, it can lead to earlier diagnosis, more effective treatments and better ways to prevent illness – helping people live longer, healthier lives.

Better, more efficient research

Researchers often face uncertainty about what data exists, how it can be used and how long access may take. By providing clearer information and more consistent processes, the service helps approved researchers plan with confidence, reducing delays and moving more quickly from question to insight. This helps accelerate discovery and development of innovations in prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Data working together

Bringing together data from hospitals, GP and other records creates a more complete picture of health and illness. This joined-up view helps researchers uncover insights that aren’t visible in isolation – opening up new opportunities to improve care and develop treatments.

Strong data protection

Robust data protection. Health data used for research will only be accessed by approved researchers to deliver approved research with demonstrable benefits. Clear safeguards ensure it is handled responsibly, maintaining public trust while enabling vital research.

Expanding access to clinical trials

Using health data at scale makes it easier for researchers to design better clinical trials for those who may benefit from new treatments. This gives more people the opportunity to take part in research and access cutting edge treatments sooner.

Mortality and treatment data from 10% of UK patients hospitalised during the pandemic found that for patients needing mechanical ventilation, an inexpensive steroid called dexamethasone reduced deaths by 36%. In cases of patients needing oxygen, mortality was reduced by 18%. Dexamethasone quickly became standard NHS treatment for patients needing ventilation or oxygen – saving 22,000 lives in the UK and over a million worldwide.

Data to discovery

case study

UK collaboration

Four nations. One shared ambition.

Across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, partners are working together to support research on a UK-wide scale. This collaboration will make it possible to study broader, more diverse populations than would usually be possible.