The Honest Broker Service team can help with queries at any point in the application process, whether you want to know more about the service itself or have specific questions about data sources prior to making an application.
Timescales can vary from project to project depending on the complexity of the project and data involved, in particular if any additional legal agreements are required for datasets being requested.
The following guidance helps you plan your research project.
Discover
Identifying the exact data and variables that you need for your research will help guide you in knowing whether the project is feasible and will inform you as to the process that you need to follow.
We publish metadata on the Health Data Research Innovation Gateway and also on our own website which can help with the discovery phase.
There may be data sources that there is no metadata available and occasionally researchers will request that data is linked from sources external to the Regional Data Warehouse, for example from certain HSC Trust systems or external providers such as the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry.
We always advise making an enquiry with the Honest Broker Service prior to applying. Application documents can be found at the following link:
Enquire
You can contact the Honest Broker Service team by e-mail and we will usually get in touch with you to arrange a meeting to discuss your enquiry and to let you know about our processes.
Prior to submitting an enquiry, it is useful to consider the following checklist:
- Is your proposal suitable for analysis of de-personalised data within our Secure Data Environment? Keeping in mind disclosure control and release of small counts <10.
- Yes.
- No – We do not disseminate data under the Honest Broker Service, if your part of a clinical trial or study you may have requirements that are out of scope for the Honest Broker Service, you can still speak to us and we will sign post you to appropriate services if possible.
- I don’t know – sometimes you may have questions about the feasibility of a project, for example if it is based on a small population. In this case please speak to us about any questions during the application process.
- Will I be able to get accredited researcher training?
- The main course that we use is the Office for National Statistics Safe Researcher training, guidance can be found on the ONS website and further info can be found in our FAQs section.
- Most projects require funding to cover cost Honest Broker Services, have you factored this into your planning?
- Is my project relevant to Health and Social Care? Can I clearly describe my research project and the public interest it will have?
When you are ready, please get in touch.
Drafting and submission
The Honest Broker Service team will provide advice on whether the project is feasible during the enquiry phase.
We will provide you with an estimate for the costs, based on the information provided about the data required.
Assuming you decide to progress the application, then we will work with you and provide support as you develop your full application.
This will include guidance on the Honest Broker Service “Five Safe Application” form and completion of the variable list specification document.
We will have advised during the enquiry phase if any additional approvals such as HSC Research Ethics Committee application or additional legal documents are required, these can usually be progressed in parallel with the application drafting process.
When the application is ready for submission, we will have run through a pre-application checklist with you to ensure all necessary information has been gathered and the Honest Broker Service team will then submit the application on your behalf to the HSC Data Access Committee for consideration.
Approval and Access
The HSC Data Access Committee will consider the application against a set of criteria.
The Committee may approve, refer back or reject an application.
Occasionally the Committee may provide an approval which is dependent on certain conditions being met, for example if HSC Research Ethics Committee approval is required but the evidence of approval has not yet come through then the project may be approved but data extraction and access will only commence once this is in place.
If an application is referred back, it may require further refinement before it can be approved.
Once approved, the Honest Broker Service team will progress preparation of the project data.
The researcher on the project will have to sign the Research Data Access Agreement, this also needs to be signed by your institution.
A final check will be completed to ensure that you have the required training in place prior to setting up your account in the safe setting and providing access.
We will provide guidance on using the safe setting (The Secure e-Research Platform or the Safe Haven) and on statistical disclosure control and are happy to aid with queries while getting started.
Ongoing Support
The Honest Broker Service team will continue to provide support throughout the project, crucially with output checking. There may also be queries about data, for which we will do our best to assist with, or seek guidance on your behalf.
Project modifications may occasionally be submitted, for example, to extend timelines on projects or to seek additional data. These will often need secondary approval by the HSC Data Access Committee, in particular if it impacts the scope of the research.