Bring your own data
You can use the Eastern England SDE to analyse your own high quality data resources and/or link your own data with other patient data sources.
Speak to our team to find out more.
Access the Eastern England SDE
Your gateway to de-identified NHS patient data and a scalable, flexible environment to support creative research projects.
Our solutions to accelerate research
The Eastern England SDE’s data and infrastructure services support research from discovery science, precision medicine to health service improvements.
Data
Access de-identified NHS data, bring your own data, or link NHS and research data.
Platform
Use a flexible, scalable, secure, cloud-based analytics platform and tools.
Expertise
Get end-to-end support and practical advice throughout your project.
We provide a single access route for approved researchers.
Apply to access the SDE
Researchers from the NHS, universities, charities and commercial organisations use the SDE to access, link and analyse data efficiently, reducing time and costs and accelerating research.
Step one
Submit your enquiry via our website or email
Step two
We will contact you to discuss the details of your project and give you an idea about costings
Step three
If your request is likely to be feasible from the initial information provided, you will be asked to submit a detailed Data Access Request Form
Step four
Our internal team undertakes an in depth technical and data feasibility review to ensure your project is appropriate and that we can meet your needs
Step five
We guide your application through a full legal and governance review, including by our Data Access Committee
Step six
If approved you will be provided with access to datasets and platform services that support your research
Securely find and access curated NHS datasets
Data services
The Eastern England SDE data services are built on a federated model that enables cohort discovery across longitudinal secondary care data, including diagnostic results and prescribing data that are unavailable elsewhere, all mapped to a common data model.
Current data
Data is sourced from NHS and research organisations across Eastern England, which covers a population of just under 12 million people.
Uniquely, the SDE enables approved researchers to link data from multiple electronic health record (EHR) systems, supporting rapid cohort discovery and de-identification in a matter of hours rather than months.
All data flows are automated, significantly reducing time and cost for multi-site studies.
Within the Eastern SDE you can discover:
- Over 10 years of longitudinal secondary care data from Cambridge University Hospitals, refreshed monthly
- Secondary care data from Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals.
Future data roadmap
The Eastern England SDE is continually evolving to expand the depth and breadth of available datasets. We are onboarding new data partners in the region and planning to expand the data products to include:
- Primary care data
- Imaging data
- Genomics data
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“The Eastern England SDE provides one of the strongest environments for testing and running research studies using health data. It offers a safe, trusted space that enables regional organisations to participate in national research initiatives, while keeping sensitive data within the NHS.”
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“Collaborating with this dedicated and forward-thinking team is incredibly enjoyable and rewarding – enhancing both the quality and impact of all our efforts. We are helping to surface data in the Eastern England SDE that wouldn’t otherwise be available for research by working in partnership with NHS organisations from across the region.”
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“What makes our team special is that we understand researchers and their pressures – as well as their technical and governance needs. That means we can build solutions that are not only secure and compliant, but that genuinely work for our partners and the patients they serve.”
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“Our Trust is using the Eastern England SDE as a secure analytics platform. For the first time it gives us a secure space in which we can use data science tools and collaborate with trusted researchers and collaborators without needing to move, share or copy data. This is supporting our research while keeping patient data safe.”
Our platform-as-a-service model brings well-tested, validated processes for data quality, compliance and assurance, providing confidence that data is being handled to regulatory standards.
The platform can be used for:
- Discovering and accessing NHS patient data from data partners in the region
- Securely linking data from different sources without that data ever leaving the NHS
- Improving the quality of and standardising data that you currently manage into common formats
- Collaborative analysis of data currently under your control in a secure environment.
Platform services
Run your analysis in a flexible, scalable, ISO 27001-accredited research environment that’s designed to support a wide range of research use cases.
Platform features
- Scalable storage and compute enabling capabilities matched to data and projects
- Pre-installed analytics tools including Python, R, PostgreSQL, DBeaver, Jupyter , and RStudio
- Bring your own tools, algorithms and workflows
- Secure cloud-based virtual desktop interface (VDI) with controlled browser access
- User management, providing visibility and control over who has access to your workspace.
- Airlock for movement of supplemental, non sensitive data into the platform
- Access to project scoped git repository
- Low friction installation of R and Python libraires from primary package repositories.
End-to-end support
Get expert support for your study, from navigating governance to accessing the right datasets.
Feasibility assessments
Before you apply to access the SDE we assess whether your project is achievable and provide advice on how to improve your application.
Data access application
We provide a dedicated point of contact to help you navigate the NHS data access application process – guiding you through governance and documentation to reduce delays and increase your project’s success.
Contracting and research governance support
We offer expert support with contracts, data sharing agreements, compliance documentation and template agreements.
Service desk
Once onboarded, we are on hand to support you as you use the platform and tools in the SDE.
Security by design
The Eastern England provides an ISO-27001-certified, NHS-hosted environment for safe data access and analysis. The SDE operates under approvals from the Health Research Authority’s Confidentiality Advisory Group (CAG) and an NHS Research Ethics Committee (REC), enabling lawful access to de-identified data under Section 251 of the NHS Act.
All data use is governed by the Five Safes Framework, ensuring projects are conducted by trusted researchers, using appropriate data, in a secure setting, for approved purposes, with safe outputs. Learn more about our data privacy and governance approach.
Safe projects
Is the use of data appropriate?
Safe people
Can the users be trusted to use the data in an appropriate manner?
Safe settings
Is the access environment secure?
Safe data
Is there a disclosure risk in the data itself?
Safe outputs
Are the outcomes safe and appropriate to release from the SDE?
Contact us
Enquire about access
If you are a researcher with a project that requires use of the SDE, we’re here to help.