Health databases & datasets: UK

HDB-0005

UK Biobank

UK Biobank Ltd Deep genetic, imaging and health data from 500,000 UK participants, linked to national health records with ongoing follow-up. A large-scale biobank for genomic and precision-medicine research; access requires an approved application and access fee. Open dataset By application HDB-0029

Binleys / HSJ Information

HSJ Information (Inspirit acquisition 2024) Binleys, operated by HSJ Information (acquired by Inspirit in June 2024, formerly Wilmington Healthcare), is a UK healthcare intelligence and database service containing information on NHS professionals, healthcare organizations, and key decision-makers. The platform provides healthcare market intelligence, provider directories, and stakeholder engagement services for pharmaceutical companies and healthcare suppliers through licensing agreements. Commercial provider By application HDB-0129

Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD)

Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) CPRD is a database of de-identified patient records from a network of UK general practices, covering approximately 60 million historical patients with 18 million currently registered, operated by the MHRA with support from the National Institute for Health and Care Research. Researchers access CPRD data for observational studies, clinical research, and surveillance through an application and review process conducted by the CPRD team. Research database By application HDB-0130

Hospital Episode Statistics (HES)

NHS England Digital HES is a national administrative database containing over 1 billion records of all NHS hospital admissions, outpatient appointments, and emergency department attendances in England, maintained by NHS England Digital. Researchers and organizations access HES data through data access request services for health services research, epidemiology, and policy evaluation. Research database By application HDB-0131

OpenSAFELY

Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science, University of Oxford, in partnership with NHS England, TPP, and Optum OpenSAFELY is a trusted research environment and open-source analytics platform that enables researchers to conduct statistical analyses on pseudonymized primary care records from across the UK without direct access to individual patient data. Approved researchers submit analysis code that executes on the platform, with only aggregated results returned to researchers, ensuring privacy protection while supporting 200+ active projects. Research database Credentialed HDB-0132

SAIL Databank (Secure Anonymised Information Linkage)

Swansea University Medical School, funded by Health and Care Research Wales SAIL Databank is a trusted research environment containing anonymised health and social care records for approximately 5.5 million people in Wales, integrating data from NHS services, social care, educational records, and other administrative sources, with 25+ years of historical coverage and ISO 27001 certification. Researchers apply through a governance review process to access linked datasets for epidemiological, health services, and policy research. Research database Credentialed HDB-0133

Scotland National Safe Haven (eDRIS)

Public Health Scotland, Electronic Data Research and Innovation Service (eDRIS), hosted by EPCC and University of Edinburgh The Scotland National Safe Haven is a trusted research environment providing secure access to sensitive NHS patient records for approved research projects, governed by Scotland's Public Benefit and Privacy Panel. Accredited researchers submit applications for access to linked NHS data for epidemiology, health services research, and public health surveillance. Research database Credentialed HDB-0134

IQVIA Medical Research Data (IMRD)

IQVIA (previously known as The Health Improvement Network - THIN) IQVIA Medical Research Data is a longitudinal database of de-identified electronic health records from more than 6 million patients in England, derived from participating general practices using EMIS Health, Cegedim, and other clinical systems, and approved by the NHS Health Research Authority for medical research. Researchers access IMRD through application and data-sharing agreements for observational studies, pharmacovigilance, and comparative effectiveness research. Research database By application HDB-0135

Genomics England: 100,000 Genomes Project

Genomics England, funded by the UK Department of Health and Social Care The 100,000 Genomes Project is a genomic database containing whole genome sequences from approximately 85,000 NHS patients affected by rare diseases or cancer, established between 2013 and 2018, with data linked to NHS clinical records and participant consent status. Qualified researchers can access the project's genomic and phenotypic data through application for research on disease genetics, therapeutic development, and diagnostics. Research database By application HDB-0136

Our Future Health

Our Future Health, a public-private partnership involving NHS England, UK Research and Innovation, Wellcome Trust, and industry partners Our Future Health is a health cohort and biobank recruiting up to 5 million UK participants with linked health records, physical measurements, biosamples, and genetic data, designed to enable large-scale research on disease prevention and treatment. Qualified researchers access de-identified participant data through a secure trusted research environment for studies on disease patterns, risk factors, and health outcomes across diverse populations. Research database By application HDB-0137

UK Data Service

UK Data Service (part of Jisc), funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and supported by partner institutions The UK Data Service maintains the UK's largest collection of research data, including health surveys (Health Survey for England, Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, National Child Measurement Programme) and social research datasets covering health outcomes, healthcare access, and population health. Researchers access health datasets for secondary analysis and educational purposes through online discovery tools with free or subscription-based registration. Research database Free registration HDB-0150

ISRCTN Registry

BioMed Central / Springer Nature ISRCTN is the UK's only WHO-recognised primary clinical study registry, accepting registration of interventional and non-interventional studies at any stage (proposed, ongoing, or completed). All records are freely searchable and openly accessible, supporting UK transparency requirements effective April 2026 that mandate prospective registration and results publication within 12 months. Trial registry Open access HDB-0161

HDR UK Innovation Gateway

HDR UK (Health Data Research UK) HDR UK Gateway is a centralized platform that enables researchers to discover, access, and link UK health datasets for research, including integration with the Cohort Discovery Service for secure exploration of patient cohorts across multiple datasets. The platform streamlines the researcher journey from feasibility assessment through data access agreements with NHS trusts, academic institutions, and other data holders. Research database Free registration HDB-0163

ALSPAC (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children)

University of Bristol A birth cohort study that recruited over 14,000 pregnant women between 1991-1992 and has continuously monitored participants and their descendants. Researchers can access study data by submitting research proposals through the dedicated proposal portal, with datasets available from longitudinal assessments, cognitive testing, and a new cohort of grandchildren. Open dataset By application HDB-0165

ELSA (English Longitudinal Study of Ageing)

NatCen Social Research in partnership with University College London and Institute for Fiscal Studies A longitudinal study of English aging spanning 24 years across 11 waves of data collection involving 24,000+ participants. Researchers can download datasets directly from the website, with additional procedures for accessing genetic data, supported by comprehensive user guides and the contact point ELSAdata@natcen.ac.uk. Open dataset Open access HDB-0167

Millennium Cohort Study (MCS)

Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS), University College London A birth cohort study following approximately 19,000 young people born in 2000-2002 across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland through their life course. Researchers access data through CLS's data access portal with resources including documentation, a bibliography of 6,000+ publications, and training webinars, with a new consolidated core dataset released in July 2026. Open dataset Free registration HDB-0499

Dementias Platform UK Data Portal

Dementias Platform UK A secure research environment providing access to individual participant data from participants across UK cohorts specialising in dementia, ageing, and neurodegenerative disease research, including imaging and genomic data. Researchers submit applications through a single access request system; approved access is provided within a secure VMware environment with two-factor authentication and pre-installed analytical software. IPD repository By application HDB-0537

CLOSER: Cohort and Longitudinal Studies Enhancement Resources

UCL Institute of Education CLOSER is a UK consortium that harmonises and documents data from major longitudinal population studies, including several national birth cohorts and household panels. Researchers discover variables and metadata through CLOSER Discovery and then apply for the underlying data via the UK Data Service or the individual studies, whose access conditions vary. Research database Credentialed HDB-0638

FreeBIRD (Bank of Injury and Emergency Research Data)

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine FreeBIRD is a repository operated by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine that holds clinical trial datasets on injury and other emergency conditions. Investigators may use the data to improve patient care and advance medical knowledge, and downloading or uploading datasets requires login or registration under the repository's data sharing terms. IPD repository Free registration HDB-0677

PIONEER Health Data Research Hub (acute care)

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust / HDR UK PIONEER is a health data research hub operated by University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust that contains data from the electronic healthcare systems of organizations providing unplanned or emergency care, including symptoms, investigations, diagnoses, treatments, images, and insights from clinical notes. Researchers and companies can apply to access the data under licence for approved projects conducted within secure trusted research environments, with governance intended to protect patient privacy. Research database By application HDB-0678

HQIP National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP) data

Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) operates the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP), which collects, analyses and reports data from clinical audits and outcome reviews to support quality improvement in NHS care. HQIP reviews applications for secondary use of NCAPOP data through its Data Access Request Group, with the relevant NCAPOP provider reviewing and releasing the data under a data sharing agreement following approval. Research database By application HDB-0679

Thames Valley and Surrey Secure Data Environment

Thames Valley and Surrey SDE (NHS) The Thames Valley and Surrey Secure Data Environment is an NHS resource for health and care data covering the Thames Valley and Surrey region, operated by local health and care organisations working with staff, patients and the public. It is used to support individual care planning, service planning and research, with access requested through an application process and a data use register. Research database By application HDB-0680

INSIGHT Health Data Research Hub for eye health

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust / Moorfields INSIGHT is an NHS-led health data research hub operated by Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust that curates and anonymises routinely collected eye health data, including eye imaging linked to medical records, for research use. Approved researchers from academia, industry and charity sectors access the data through a secure research environment to develop diagnostic tools and study eye disease and related systemic conditions. Research database By application HDB-0681

QResearch

University of Oxford QResearch is a consolidated database derived from anonymised general practice health records across the United Kingdom, operated by the University of Oxford. It is used for ethical medical research, with anonymised patient-level data provided to academic researchers who hold ethical committee approval, and patients may opt out. Research database By application HDB-0682

South West Secure Data Environment

South West SDE (NHS) The South West Secure Data Environment is an online research platform developed by a consortium of NHS bodies, local authorities, universities and research groups across the South West region, and is part of the NHS Research Secure Data Environment Network. It allows approved researchers to analyse routinely collected health and social care data for research such as clinical trials and population studies, while seeking to protect privacy and security. Research database By application HDB-0683

DataLoch

NHS Lothian / University of Edinburgh DataLoch brings together routine data collected as part of people's day-to-day interactions with health and social care services, and NHS Lothian is the lead Data Controller of all data hosted by DataLoch. The resource supports research, innovation, and service management projects intended to enhance health and care services, and access is arranged through an application process described on the site. Research database By application HDB-0684

West of Scotland Safe Haven

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde The West of Scotland Safe Haven is a research support service operated by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde in partnership with the University of Glasgow that holds routinely collected health data for the NHSGGC population within a Trusted Research Environment. Researchers and innovators must meet legal, ethical and security standards and demonstrate potential public benefit to gain approved access to pseudonymised health datasets for clinical research, trial feasibility and data-driven discovery. Research database By application HDB-0685

Connected West Yorkshire (Connected Bradford)

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Connected West Yorkshire is a linked health and care data resource operated by the Bradford Institute for Health Research at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, combining de-identified health records with satellite datasets covering ambulance, social care, education and mental health services. Researchers apply for data access through a governed request process requiring ethical and confidentiality approvals, and the data are used to study health conditions and their wider determinants in support of research and public benefit. Research database By application HDB-0686

UK Renal Registry (UKRR)

UK Kidney Association The UK Renal Registry is a data resource of the UK Kidney Association that holds renal audit and research datasets, including clinical, laboratory, COVID-19, patient measures and quality dashboard data, along with selected linked transplant data items. It is used for audit and research by renal clinicians and academic or clinical organisations, which apply to the registry to obtain aggregate anonymised data or patient-level pseudonymised data under a data sharing agreement. Research database By application HDB-0687

ONS Secure Research Service (SRS)

Office for National Statistics The Secure Research Service is operated by the Office for National Statistics and provides accredited researchers with secure access to de-identified, unpublished data held by the office. It is used to carry out research projects for the public good, with access granted to accredited researchers who apply for an accredited research project and work with the data securely under the Five Safes Framework. Research database Credentialed HDB-0688

Eastern England Secure Data Environment

Eastern England SDE (NHS) The Eastern England Secure Data Environment is an NHS-owned and NHS-run resource that provides secure access to de-identified NHS patient data, including linked datasets such as secondary care prescribing data and diagnostic results, and it is governed through frameworks intended to keep patient data safe. Researchers from the NHS, universities, charities, and commercial companies can apply to access the data for analysis aimed at preventing, diagnosing, and treating disease and improving healthcare, with access granted only to approved researchers who demonstrate a need for public benefit under the Five Safes Framework. Research database By application HDB-0689

North West Secure Data Environment

North West SDE (NHS) The North West Secure Data Environment is an NHS data platform operated through a collaboration of the Lancashire and South Cumbria, Greater Manchester, and Cheshire and Merseyside integrated care systems that provides researchers with access to de-identified health and care data. Researchers apply to use the environment, and approved, trained users analyze data within the system under review by Data Access Committees, with the NHS checking research outputs before publication. Research database By application HDB-0690

North East and North Cumbria Secure Data Environment

North East and North Cumbria ICB The North East and North Cumbria Secure Data Environment is an NHS England-funded regional data access service operated by the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board that provides a controlled space for researchers and analysts to access health and care records for specific projects. Access is tightly controlled, record-level data cannot be removed, and data is used for research and planning purposes under a data access model rather than data sharing. Research database By application HDB-0691

UCLH SAFEHR

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust SAFEHR is a research collaborative operated by University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and University College London that provides extraction of and access to anonymised hospital data, including imaging, structured records and free text, for research. Researchers and educators apply through the initiative's data access process to use these datasets, with oversight from a patient and public Data Trust Committee and support from UCL computing services. Research database By application HDB-0692

Imperial iCARE secure data environment

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust iCARE is a partnership between Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust that operates the Imperial Secure Data Environment, drawing on health and care data from North West London. Researchers access and analyse this data within a protected environment for projects intended to benefit the public while protecting patient confidentiality, under governance and oversight described by the initiative. Research database By application HDB-0693

NIHR BioResource

National Institute for Health and Care Research The NIHR BioResource is a national resource operated by the National Institute for Health and Care Research that holds genetic, health and lifestyle information donated by participants, along with participant samples and recall access. It is used to support research into the diagnosis and treatment of ill health and disease, with participants joining programmes based on health conditions or demographic criteria and researchers accessing samples and data for studies. Research database By application HDB-0694

Health Informatics Centre (HIC), University of Dundee

University of Dundee The Health Informatics Centre at the University of Dundee is a Trusted Research Environment (Scottish safe haven) that holds and links population-based health data for the NHS Tayside and NHS Fife board regions on behalf of the Scottish Government, with a data inventory, linkage and anonymisation services and OMOP mapping. Researchers, trial units and industry partners apply through HIC's governance service for access to the data inside the secure environment; the service is ISO 27001 accredited. Research database By application HDB-0697

The United Kingdom Spinal Muscular Atrophy Patient Registry

John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre, Newcastle University The UK SMA Patient Registry is a registry for patients in the United Kingdom and Ireland with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, coordinated by the John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre at Newcastle University. It collects patient-reported outcome measures through online questionnaires, alongside medical information, with patient consent, to supplement data from clinical studies and inform regulatory authorities, clinicians, researchers and pharmaceutical companies about the impact and effectiveness of treatments, and participants register online or by requesting a paper registration form. Research database By application HDB-0705

Haematological Malignancy Research Network

Epidemiology and Cancer Statistics Group, University of York (ECSG UoY) The Haematological Malignancy Research Network is operated by the Epidemiology and Cancer Statistics Group at the University of York and provides information and statistics on leukaemias, lymphomas, myelomas, and related blood disorders, including incidence, survival, prevalence, publications, and prognostic tools. Its data are used to inform clinical practice and research, with some sections restricted to NHS haematology staff in the network who hold an active account, while other resources are openly accessible. Research database By application HDB-0724

Extended Cohort for E-health, Environment and DNA

University of Leicester EXCEED is a longitudinal health study operated by the University of Leicester that collects information about genes, lifestyle and environment from participants to examine the causes of long-term health conditions. Researchers use the collected information to study topics such as childhood infections and response to antidepressants, and members of the public can take part online by registering an email address, reading the participant information sheet, completing a consent form and filling in questionnaires. Research database By application HDB-0726

British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register for Rheumatoid Arthritis

University of Manchester The British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register for Rheumatoid Arthritis is a register operated by the University of Manchester in collaboration with the British Society for Rheumatology and the pharmaceutical industry that collects data from rheumatology teams and patient questionnaires on people with rheumatoid arthritis prescribed biologic, biosimilar and other targeted therapies, supplemented by clinical data from national NHS databases. It is used to monitor the long-term safety of these drugs, and health professionals participate by registering patients and submitting data through a login-protected database. Research database By application