The NHS OpenSAFELY Data Analytics Service is a secure data analytics service managed by NHS England. It allows patient data held by your GP practice and by NHS England, to be analysed in a safe and secure way that protects your privacy.
The system provides access to de-identified (pseudonymised) personal data to support Approved Users (academics, data analysts, data scientists and researchers) to undertake approved projects for the purposes of:
- clinical audit (a way to check if healthcare is being provided in line with care standards to help improve the quality of healthcare services)
- service evaluation (to assess how well a healthcare service is achieving its intended aims)
- health surveillance (to better understand the health of the population)
- research, such as to find new treatments, improve early diagnosis of disease and prevent ill-health
- to plan NHS services, develop and improve health and social care policy, and to commission NHS services
- public health purposes (to identify and monitor diseases that pose a risk to the health of population)
The OpenSAFELY Data Analytics Service privacy notice page has more information about how your information is used, and about your options to opt-out of your data being used for this purpose.