Prime Minister turbocharges medical research

The Prime Minister has today announced action to accelerate the discovery of life-saving drugs, improve patient care and make Britain the best place in the world for medical research.

The Government and the Wellcome Trust will invest up to £600 million to create a new Health Data Research Service. This will transform the access to NHS data by providing a secure single access point to national-scale datasets, slashing red tape for researchers.

Clinical trials will also be fast-tracked to accelerate the development of the medicines and therapies of the future, with the current time it takes to get a clinical trial set up cut to 150 days by March 2026 – where latest data collected in 2022 was over 250 days. This will be achieved by cutting bureaucracy and standardising contracts so time isn't wasted on negotiating separate details across different NHS organisations, and ensuring transparency by publishing trust level data for the first time.

Through this new drive, patients will have improved access to new treatments and technologies. We already saw the power of health data during the pandemic and this will allow the NHS to make huge strides in patient care.

The changes are a major boost for the life sciences sector as the Government goes further and faster in delivering the Plan for Change and reshaping our economy in response to the new era of global insecurity.

They follow key steps to support the British car industry and form part of our modern Industrial Strategy, which includes life sciences. Full plans will be published alongside the Spending Review later this year.

Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said:

The new era of global insecurity requires a Government that steps up, not stands aside.

That is why we are going further and faster in reshaping our economy and delivering our Plan for Change.

Life sciences, like our brilliant car industry, is a great British success story.

The measures I am announcing today will turbo-charge medical research and deliver better patient care. I am determined to make Britain the best place in the world to invest in medical research.

That is not just good for patients and their families. It means growth that puts more money in working people's pockets with more, better paid jobs.

Patient confidentiality will continue to be held to a gold standard with these changes – with rigorous security measures being in place, like anonymity and virtual locked rooms, to ensure no one's health data is compromised.

The Health Data Research Service brings access to data for medical research into one secure and easy-to-use location, meaning a researcher doesn't have to navigate different systems or make multiple applications for information for the same project.

This improvement – which will begin from the end of 2026 – will speed up the process and could set the UK on a path to cure cancer, dementia, and arthritis quicker, which will improve patient outcomes and help turbocharge the economy.

It follows the recent decision to scrap NHS England to do away with unnecessary bureaucracy and make government work better for people, patients, and the economy.

The new service will be housed at the Wellcome Genome Campus in Cambridgeshire, where Wellcome is building a range of new R&D lab and office spaces to expand the current campus's capacity for innovative genomics and biodata companies.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, said:

Our Plan for Change will unleash the unparalleled power of NHS data, catalysing our efforts to fix the broken health service.

We will unblock the barriers preventing our greatest scientists from safely accessing what they need to save patients' lives – while keeping data secure.

This venture will drive vital investment into the UK and put us at the epicentre of breakthroughs in science.

If we can combine the care of the NHS with the ingenuity of our world-leading scientists, our health service could truly become the envy of the world.

 Science Secretary, Peter Kyle, said:

Building an NHS fit for the future is central to this government's Plan for Change. Ensuring our research community can access the data which will drive untold improvements for patients across the country is key to that ambition.

This is a service which has truly transformative potential – giving health experts access to the insights they need to drive forward more research and more clinical trials quicker than ever before.

Protecting the data and anonymity of patients is non-negotiable. That's why we're also putting robust protections in place to make sure the incredible benefits we will all receive from this service will never come at a personal cost.

Professor Sir Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England, said:

Improving health for future patients and future generations depends on medical research, and that depends on data.

Bringing health data together will allow scientists to understand diseases, to prevent them and to develop new treatments more quickly and more effectively to improve future health.

John-Arne Røttingen, Chief Executive of Wellcome, said:

There is so much more we could learn from health data in this country by joining it up better.

The new service will give researchers a way to easily harness the data held across different parts of the NHS. The simpler it is to analyse data or identify patients to join clinical trials, the more quickly we can improve our understanding of illness and develop new treatments.

Providing a single, secure service for approved researchers will take away the significant overhead associated of locating, accessing and comparing disparate datasets. It will create opportunities for patients to access new treatments through trials that would otherwise have been hard to arrange or conduct.

We're pleased to be providing our support to help establish the new service quickly. This public-philanthropic partnership will put public trust in the use of health data at the heart of its approach.

Dr Vin Diwakar, National Director of Transformation at NHS England, said:

We've seen over the past few years the vital role that research plays in improving healthcare – from the rollout of the Covid vaccine to the development of new cancer treatments – and this new service will transform how that research is carried out.

The Health Data Research Service will remove the complexities of accessing data through multiple systems while making sure the very highest security and privacy measures remain in place, including using secure data environments to protect patient confidentiality and ensure NHS data doesn't leave NHS IT systems.

We'll continue to seek feedback from the public as we develop the service and will only allow access to NHS data where there is likely to be a direct benefit to NHS patients - so that health researchers can get the data they need faster, and patients can benefit from advances in treatments much sooner.

Executive director of policy at Cancer Research UK, Dr Ian Walker, said:

This is a welcome and much-needed investment from the government. The information held within NHS data could help to improve our understanding of diseases like cancer and contribute to the creation of effective new treatments.

Despite its huge potential, access to this data has long been a significant challenge for the research sector, and anything that unleashes the power of NHS data, whilst protecting the security and anonymity of patients, will help enormously.

The UK can lead the world in data science for the benefits of patients both at home and abroad. It will be essential to consult with patients every step of the way.

STAKEHOLDER REACTION

Professor Cathie Sudlow, Former Chief Scientist and Strategic Advisor, Health Data Research UK, and author of the Sudlow Review: Uniting the UK's Health Data: A Huge Opportunity for Society, said:

Today's announcement of a Health Data Research Service, a central recommendation of my recently published review of the UK's health data landscape, is a major step forward for UK health research. It has the potential to be a game-changer, by accelerating secure, trustworthy, data-driven research to improve patient care and public health for the tens of millions of people in this country and beyond.

The service should enable faster, more reliable access for approved researchers to the data needed to tackle society's most pressing health research needs – to develop and test new approaches for preventing, diagnosing and treating health conditions such as cancer, dementia, heart disease, depression, arthritis and infectious outbreaks. It should support better studies, quicker answers for the health and care system and, ultimately, faster, better outcomes for patients and their families.

Turning this investment from the UK Government and Wellcome into something that delivers will demand focus, cooperation across multiple organisations,  attention to detail and – crucially – ongoing, meaningful involvement of patients, public and health and care professionals. However, with the UK's rich health data assets and strong life sciences and data science research capabilities, I am confident that we can make this work for everyone's benefit.

Nicola Perrin, Chief Executive of the Association of Medical Research Charities, said:

The announcement of a Health Data Research Service is excellent news – for patients, for the NHS and for UK life sciences. Sustained, ringfenced funding – from the Government and Wellcome as a charitable funder – is the best way to unlock the power of NHS data to transform research and to improve health outcomes. 

This partnership is exactly what is needed to help to ensure a trustworthy approach, and to build confidence among public, patients and healthcare professionals which will be so crucial for success. We look forward to engaging closely with the new HRDS as the plans develop, building on and consolidating the multiple initiatives that currently exist for data access.

Dame Cally Palmer, Chief Executive of The Royal Marsden, said:

I've seen first-hand how harnessing NHS data can accelerate and improve cancer research – so today's news is hugely welcome for cancer patients and researchers alike. 

By offering our world leading researchers a centralised, convenient and highly secure central hub for medical research, innovative and potentially life changing developments could become more likely, helping to transform cancer patient lives.

Emma Walmsley, Chief Executive Officer, GSK, said:

We welcome the ambition and urgency of today's announcements on health data and clinical trials. The UK has unique potential to bring health data securely together with an NHS system that recognises the value of innovation, to accelerate and deliver the next generation of medicines and vaccines for patients. This offers value to society and to the economy. What matters now is execution at pace and we stand ready to support.

Hilary Evans-Newton, Chief Executive of Alzheimer's Research UK, said:

This is a game-changing initiative that could drive faster progress for people with dementia and bring us closer to a cure. Better access to high-quality NHS data will help researchers understand the diseases behind dementia in greater detail, spot those at risk sooner, and develop effective new treatments more quickly.

The UK is home to some of the most detailed, nationwide, life-long health datasets in the world, with huge potential to transform how we prevent, detect, diagnose, and treat major health conditions. But right now, researchers face barriers that stop them unlocking this data's full, life-saving power. By cutting red tape around data access and clinical trials, the UK can accelerate the development of new diagnostics and treatments, and become a magnet for global investment. Dementia is the nation's biggest killer, and with no treatments currently available on the NHS that slow or stop the condition, this momentum couldn't come at a more urgent time.

To make the new Health Data Research Service work, people affected by dementia must be at the heart of how the system is designed. With the right safeguards in place, trusted access to NHS data can be a powerful force for good – helping the UK lead the world in life sciences and transform the outlook for everyone affected by dementia in the UK.

Dr Samantha Walker, Director of Research and Innovation at Asthma + Lung UK, said:

The new health data service has the potential to make a huge difference to the health of the nation. Improved access to such a wealth of data is fantastic news for health research, and will help researchers better understand lung disease, which will affect 12 million people in the UK during their lifetime.

Decades-long underinvestment has left lung research on life support. But this new investment into data will help scientists better understand early development and progression of lung disease, ultimately leading to better diagnosis, treatment and management.

Every five minutes, someone in the UK dies a from lung condition. ​Urgent action is needed to increase investment into lung research to give everyone fighting for breath a future. Because breakthroughs can happen and when they do, they save lives. Our vision is a world where everyone has healthy lungs.

Professor James Leiper, Director of Research at the British Heart Foundation, said:

This investment in the huge potential of data science is a welcome and farsighted move.

Health data has the power to give us unparalleled insights into cardiovascular disease, and will supercharge research which promises to save lives in the years to come.

Ensuring cardiovascular researchers have simplified access to the wealth of data the NHS holds, while also ensuring security and patient confidentiality, will place the UK at the cutting edge of data science for health. We look forward to hearing further detail on plans in the coming months.

Jacob Lant, Chief Executive at National Voices, said: 

As patients, our health records can fuel a revolution in medical research that will both help the NHS and ensure communities across the country get faster access to groundbreaking new treatments.

The Government's new partnership with the Wellcome Trust can unlock this potential by offering scientists easier access to data, but crucially also giving the public concrete guarantees around data security and anonymity. This is vital to building the public trust needed to move forward and realise the full benefits of modern medical research.

Dr. Sam Barrell, CEO of LifeArc, said:

Rapid, transparent, and secure access to high-quality linked health data is essential for translation of research into tangible patient benefit. This is especially crucial for those with rare diseases, where large-scale data and international collaboration are vital.

Today's funding announcement is a welcome signal to the sector that the UK is committed to making life science life changing, powered by health data.

Kieran Winterburn, Alzheimer's Society's Head of National Influencing, said:

Dementia is the UK's biggest killer. Research will beat dementia, but we need to make it a reality sooner - through more funding, more partnership working, better access to data and more people taking part in dementia research.

That's why Alzheimer's Society welcomes the Prime Minister's announcement today that red tape will be slashed for researchers, with a new secure, single access point to NHS data. Dementia researchers can face gridlock with a lengthy and complex process to access NHS data, navigating through various systems to gather the information they need for vital population and clinical studies.

As well as improving access to existing data, we also need to see improvements in the recording, analysis and collation of health data generally. There's a serious disconnect between the scale and urgency of dementia as a condition and the relative scarcity of existing data on it. Having more data on dementia published will be crucial to improving diagnosis, care, and service planning.

We're so proud that Alzheimer's Society-funded research 30 years ago led to the breakthroughs in disease-modifying treatments we've seen recently.  Research we fund now, powered by better access to data, will be pivotal in unlocking more breakthroughs.

Dr Jeanette Dickson, Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, said:

We know the UK can deliver high quality international practice-changing research and this tremendous initiative will enable our scientists to perform at their best by providing safe access to essential data - which in turn will improve care, speed up innovation and drive economic growth.

Anna Steere, Head of Understanding Patient Data, said:

This is a really welcome step toward improving how health data is used to speed up research and deliver public benefit. Research shows that people are generally supportive of their data being used in this way — but they want to see transparency, strong governance and security at the heart. We are pleased to see a commitment to working with patient groups in shaping how the service is designed and run. Getting this right from the outset is key to building lasting public confidence.

Professor Ford is also the Co-Founder and Director of the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank in Wales, said:

I am really delighted to hear of this recent announcement, which will bring a very substantial and much needed investment into the UK's data infrastructure. The SAIL Databank looks forward to playing its part in making the new exciting vision a reality.

The National Data Guardian, Dr Nicola Byrne, said:

Access to data is essential for researchers and innovators to transform great ideas into real health improvements. With the right safeguards in place, the public is eager to see data used to drive new treatments, improve services, and tackle health inequalities.

To maintain the public's trust, it's crucial that data security, clear public benefits, and full transparency around data access and use remain at the forefront. I look forward to working with others to ensure the new Health Data Research Service meets these expectations, unlocking the power of data to benefit patients and the public alike.

Professor Andrew Morris, Director of Health Data Research UK, said:

As a doctor and researcher, the announcement of a Health Data Research Service is a day many of us have been waiting for. It is a big investment in the future health of the nation. 

We have a rich abundance of health data in this country thanks to the NHS. The team at HDR UK demonstrated for the first time last year that UK wide studies harnessing data on 68M people is possible for public benefit. But the system remains slow and fragmented which means that safe and secure research using the data is delayed or prevented for months and years. This is stalling advances that could benefit millions of patients and is wasting taxpayers' money and medical charity donations invested in research.

A Health Data Research Service was the main recommendation of the Sudlow Review, which offered a set of solutions to tackle these problems and for which Health Data Research UK provided the secretariat. So I am delighted that within a few months of publication.