Frequently Asked Questions are answered below.
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How do I become an accredited researcher?
The main course that we use is the Office for National Statistics Safe Researcher training, which provides accredited researcher status under the Digital Economy Act.
The course is free and the course and test are all carried out online.
We do accept limited equivalent courses such as the Medical Research Council.
To be a full accredited researcher, individuals must have an undergraduate degree (or higher), including a significant proportion of maths or statistics. Otherwise, they must be able to demonstrate at least three years quantitative research experience.
Provisional accredited researchers can work on projects in the Secure Data Environment under the supervision of an accredited researcher. This role suits individuals without the appropriate experience or qualifications required for full accredited researcher status.
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How much will my project cost?
The HBS charge on a cost recovery basis for the work setting up the projects and extracting data. The overall cost of a project will depend on the complexity in terms of the amount of different datasets and variables being requested, the time period covered, whether data refreshes are required etc. The charging policy can be accessed at the following link:
The HBS team will work with you during the enquiry stage to provide initial cost estimates and will agree the final cost during the application.
Project costs in the past have varied from a couple of thousand pounds up to tens of thousands for very complex large projects.
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How long does it take to get access?
We hold approval panels on at least a quarterly basis however we can expedite applications if this is justified. The time from approval to data access is dependent on finalisation of paperwork and the preparation of data, which can vary based on the complexity of the project and demands on the team.
Do be aware that if a project requires additional data access agreements then it can take a number of months for information governance paperwork to be put in place to allow the project to progress.
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Does my project require ethical approval?
Most standard HBS projects do not require ethical approval as the data is anonymised and is therefore exempt. However, if your project requires establishing a data access agreement specifically to transfer data for linkage prior to de-identification then we require that you seek NHS Research Ethics Committee approval. This can be done in parallel.
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I have individual patient consent for follow up – can I have linked data sent to me?
The Honest Broker Service works on a data access rather than data dissemination model.
If you have explicit patient consent for follow up and require data be sent to your organisation then this may be possible, however it will be a different application process to applying for linked data via a Secure Data Environment.