NHSA welcomes national spotlight on place-based health data innovation
A blog discussing the publication of a British Medical Journal (BMJ) expert opinion piece on the potential public benefit of the UK’s Health Data Research Service
Following the publication of a British Medical Journal (BMJ) expert opinion piece on the potential public benefit of the UK’s Health Data Research Service, the NHSA’s Helen Cole has written a blog welcoming the compelling commentary and discusses the important role that the North of England will play in this evolving space.
This week, the BMJ published an opinion piece by Professor Iain Buchan from the University of Liverpool and Professor Andrew Morris from Health Data Research UK. The article sets out a compelling vision for the UK’s new £600 million Health Data Research Service (HDRS), arguing that its success depends on deep connectivity to real world local health systems, strong public trust, and alignment with international data frameworks.
This national conversation aligns strongly with the Northern Health Science Alliance’s long standing work to shape a future ready, trustworthy, and regionally grounded model of UK health data innovation. Over the past decade, we have advocated for adoption of a national grid model, successfully demonstrated by our pan-northern Connected Health Cities, a £20M government pilot programme (2016-2020).
The new BMJ opinion piece also echoes many of the principles outlined in our 2025 report, Mobilising UK Data and AI for All with a National Grid of Civic Learning Systems, which set out a blueprint for a distributed national grid of civic learning systems as regional, participatory, AI-enabled data infrastructures that link local insight to national capability. This model emphasises:This model emphasises:
- Public trust as the foundation for any national data service
- Data aslong-terminfrastructure, not a commodity
- Regional “civic power stations” of data, each with joint accountability across NHS, local government,researchersand communities
- A focus on real world value for patients, public services, and local economies
- Alignment with international standards such as the European Health Data Space
The BMJ article reinforces these principles, recognising that the UK’s opportunity lies not in centralising data but in federating strength, bringing together the rich assets that already exist across the North, other regions of England, and the devolved nations.
Why the North matters to HDRS success
The North of England has been a testbed for health data innovation for decades. From Connected Health Cities to the current network of regional NHS Secure Data Environments (SDEs), northern partners have shown that:
- civic participation improves trust,
- local context improves data quality,
- andplace-basedcollaboration accelerates innovation.
Our regional success stories: Liverpool’s civic data-led COVID-19 responses, Greater Manchester’s integrated data infrastructures, Yorkshire & Humber’s linked population cohorts, the Great North Care Record in the North East and North Cumbria, all demonstrate what is possible when data, people and purpose align.
A moment of national opportunity
With the government and Wellcome making a once in a generation investment in the HDRS, the NHSA agrees with the BMJ Opinion authors; that the UK can now build the world’s most trusted, inclusive and effective health data ecosystem.
To do so, the HDRS must:
- Steward a federated, locally rooted network,not a centralised database
- Invest in data curation and engineering as critical national infrastructure
- Place citizens and communities at the heart of governance and oversight
- Serve multiple purposesacrossclinical, academic, civic and industry sectors, without compromising public trust
- Be internationally aligned from theoutset, ensuring interoperability and global competitiveness
The NHSA welcomes this influential contribution at this pivotal moment, as the HDRS is forming. The alignment between national HDRS ambitions and the North’s practical experience shows that the UK does not need to start from scratch, the blueprint already exists across our regions. By building on the civic learning systems model and embedding real world connectivity into its foundations, the HDRS has the potential to deliver breakthrough scientific insights; strengthen NHS sustainability; accelerate responsible AI adoption; reduce health and economic inequalities; and unlock new opportunities for regional and national prosperity
We look forward to continuing to work with HDR UK, NHS England, government, and industry partners to ensure that HDRS is rooted in trusted local systems while enabling national and international impact.
References and further information
Connected Health Cities Impact Report (2016-2020)
Mobilising UK Data and AI for All with a National Grid of Civic Learning Systems (2025)
