Cheshire & Merseyside Secure Data Environment (SDE)

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside is improving access to NHS data for research and service planning through the Cheshire and Merseyside SDE.

Cheshire and Merseyside SDE is our local platform, which feeds into the North West SDE and a National NHS SDE network. More information on how this works is in the Data into Action website.

What does this mean for patients? 

With the data sharing agreements in place, patient data flows into the SDE. Approved researchers can be given controlled access to de-identified versions of this data (personal information removed) to support their work.

• Patients don’t need to do anything if they are happy to support research in this way.
• There are several opt out options available if patients don’t want their de-identified data to support research. Click here for more opt out information – if you have already signed up to the National Data Opt Out Scheme, then you will also have been opted out for this.

Pilot research projects are due to go live in April 2025.