Islanders are among those being invited to help shape how NHS patient data is used to address critical health challenges.
The majority (60%) of people across the Isle of Wight like the idea of health data being used to improve NHS for patients, according to new research launched to coincide with the start of University Hospital Southampton’s ‘Improving Tomorrow’s Health’ campaign.
The campaign, reaching out across the Isle of Wight, Hampshire and Dorset, is being launched to shape how patient data is used.
The research also reveals that two-thirds of people on the Isle of Wight are worried about the NHS’s future (66%). The Wessex Secure Data Environment (SDE), a new NHS platform, aims to accelerate research that could change this. It aims to unlock the power of patient data to develop new treatments and improve NHS efficiency, effectiveness, and safety.
The Wessex SDE is a secure computing platform for storing and linking different types of NHS patient data. The SDE enables researchers to ask bigger questions, look at more sides of a problem, and gain new insights to come up with new treatments and technologies.
Data-powered breakthroughs put the UK at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 and are a vital part of the solution to tomorrow’s health challenges. Support for this research is strong – nearly two-thirds of people (62%) on the Isle of Wight like the idea of their data being used for life-saving research.
Cancer, heart and circulatory health, dementia, and mental health rank amongst the public’s top priorities.
Trust is critical to the Wessex SDE’s success. Well over half (60%) of people on the Isle of Wight support the use of their data for research as long as personal details remain protected while 63% stress the importance of transparency. The SDE has been designed with rigorous safeguards to build public confidence and ensure data is used responsibly.
Over the next 2 months, the ‘Improving Tomorrow’s Health’ campaign invites everyone on the Isle of Wight to share their views on how NHS data should be used for research.
Join the conversation online or at local events by visiting https://wessexsde.nhs.uk. Public feedback will help shape the SDE’s governance and priorities, ensuring it aligns with local needs.
Dr Dan Bayliss, Chief Medical Officer, Hampshire and IoW, adds:
“The Wessex SDE is all about unlocking NHS data, so that we really understand the issues that matter to the people we care for, so that we can make their lives better.”
Professor Christopher Kipps, Wessex SDE Project Lead and Professor of Clinical Neurology & Dementia at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, says:
“The Wessex SDE accelerates breakthrough research powered by NHS patient data, but it’s no easy task. Today NHS data is fragmented – making it difficult for researchers who want to see the big picture, spot trends and make discoveries. The Wessex SDE fixes this – accelerating research while giving the NHS full control over data usage and ensuring that patient data stays private and safe.
“This is your NHS data – and we need the public’s support to succeed. This campaign is part of a wider commitment to putting patients and the public at the heart of what we are doing. It builds on a year of engagement with hundreds of local residents and dozens of groups, all aimed at ensuring our actions match the needs and aspirations of our community.”
Anyone wanting to get involved with the Wessex SDE should go to https://wessexsde.nhs.uk/.
