27-02-2025
Isle of Wight NHS data to be used for research (and you can join in)
People on the Isle of Wight are being asked to help shape NHS research.
It is part of University Hospital Southampton's Improving Tomorrow's Health campaign, which addresses critical health challenges using NHS patient data.
Join the conversation online or at local events by visiting
The campaign's research shows that 60 per cent of people on the Isle of Wight support the use of health data to improve the NHS.
The Wessex Secure Data Environment (SDE), a new NHS platform, aims to change this by using patient data to develop new treatments and improve NHS efficiency, effectiveness, and safety.
The SDE is a secure computing platform for storing and linking different types of NHS patient data.
It allows researchers to ask bigger questions, look at more sides of a problem, and gain new insights to come up with new treatments and technologies.
The research also shows that 62 per cent of people on the Isle of Wight support the use of their data for life-saving research.
The public's top priorities include cancer, heart and circulatory health, dementia, and mental health.
Sixty per cent of people on the Isle of Wight support the use of their data for research as long as personal details remain protected, while 63 per cent stress the importance of transparency.
Professor Christopher Kipps, Wessex SDE project lead and professor of clinical neurology and dementia at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, said: "The Wessex SDE accelerates breakthrough research powered by NHS patient data, but it's no easy task.
Dr Dan Bayliss, chief medical officer, Hampshire and IoW, outside Tatchbury Mount HIOW Healthcare. (Image: supplied)
"Today NHS data is fragmented – making it difficult for researchers who want to see the big picture, spot trends and make discoveries."
Dr Dan Bayliss, chief medical officer, Hampshire and IoW, said: 'The Wessex SDE is all about unlocking NHS data so that we really understand the issues that matter to the people we care for so that we can make their lives better.'
Over the next two months, the Improving Tomorrow's Health campaign invites everyone on the Isle of Wight to share their views on how NHS data should be used for research.
