Dr Alan Bagnall takes on Secure Data Environment role

Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria (HI NENC) and the NIHR Clinical Research Network North East and North Cumbria (CRN NENC) are pleased to announce that Dr Alan Bagnall has been appointed as co-clinical lead for the NHS Secure Data Environment (SDE) in the North East and North Cumbria.

Dr Bagnall will lead on developing projects to meet the needs of the research and life sciences sector using the opportunities presented by the SDE. Dr Bagnall’s co-lead will be Dr Chris Plummer, Chief Clinical Information Officer for The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Dr Bagnall works as a Consultant Cardiologist at Newcastle Hospitals Trust, where he was the former Clinical Director of Research and Development, and he is also the Deputy Clinical Directory for the CRN NENC. He will bring his experience in delivering clinical research to local people to the SDE. Working together with the many different organisations involved in health and care research in the region, he will develop new ways of delivering research digitally, using big datasets to answer important clinical questions, and design services for patients.

About the Secure Data Environment

Accessing health and care data for research and analysis can be time-consuming and burdensome. The SDE is a solution to this problem, as it provides a more secure and efficient way to access data.

The North East and North Cumbria (NENC) is one of 11 regions to receive funds from NHS England to create a Secure Data Environment. The aim is that SDEs will become the default way to access health and care data for research and analysis purposes. Instead of multiple copies of data being made available to researchers and analysts, they are given access to a secure place where they can access the data for their specific project.

Dr Bagnall said: “The NHS is uniquely placed to use data we collect everyday to discover better, safer treatments for patients and to plan our health and care services around the needs of our citizens. We are working closely with patients and carers to understand how they would like their data used for research, by who, and how they can say no if they don’t want to take part. It’s vital we get this right, making sure that data access is secure, and provided only to researchers for projects approved by specialist committees that involve patients. The beauty of the SDE is that data is never handed over to researchers – they are given time-limited access in a secure environment that is hosted and controlled by the NHS.”

Dr Bagnall is passionate about research and making it more accessible to the public. He sees the SDE programme as a way of enabling this and enhancing our capability as a region to create a vibrant place for research.

Morag Burton, Director of the NIHR Regional Research Delivery Network North East and North Cumbria, said: “We'd like to thank Alan for his hard work, insights and leadership as Deputy Clinical Director of the CRN NENC. Best of luck to him in this new role and we're looking forward to seeing the benefits of the SDE in the region."