Guide to applying

Subject to information governance requirements, ICNARC provides access to data or analysis on a cost-recovery basis (see costs for data access and analysis).

Do you have, or expect to have, funds available to support this request?

ICNARC will consider your request under our Data Access Request scheme.

Are you requesting an extract of patient or admission-level records, i.e. a table containing one or more rows per patient or admission?

Do any of the following statements apply?

1. The request involves use of direct patient identifiers for data linkage (regardless of inclusion in extracts).
2. The request involves inclusion of direct patient identifiers in an extract of patient-level data.
3. The intended recipient of the data have access to direct patient identifiers that could be used to re-identify a pseudonymised extract of patient-level data.

Do you require the extract to be anonymised to ICO standards? (please see definition before selecting Yes)

Subject to information governance requirements, ICNARC provides access to data or analysis on a cost-recovery basis (see costs for data access and analysis).

Do you have, or expect to have, funds available to support this request?

ICNARC will consider your request under our Data Access Request scheme.

Are you requesting an extract of patient or admission-level records, i.e. a table containing one or more rows per patient or admission?

Do any of the following statements apply?

1. The request involves use of direct patient identifiers for data linkage (regardless of inclusion in extracts).
2. The request involves inclusion of direct patient identifiers in an extract of patient-level data.
3. The intended recipient of the data have access to direct patient identifiers that could be used to re-identify a pseudonymised extract of patient-level data.

Do you require the extract to be anonymised to ICO standards? (please see definition before selecting Yes)

Requests for data services for purposes not listed are generally limited to aggregate data only (summary tables, figures and statistics).

How do you wish to proceed?

ICNARC provides access to data or analysis on a cost-recovery basis (see costs for data access and analysis).

Do you have, or expect to have, funds available to support this request?

Requests by healthcare organisations participating in ICNARC clinical audits, to support local quality improvement

Your request will be considered for processing under the Quality Improvement scheme. If approved, your request will be provided under your participation agreement and will not incur a charge, and ICNARC will not require an Information Sharing Agreement.

Please complete the ‘Request for local Quality Improvement form‘.

Requests involving processing of Patient Identifiable Data for research

Your request involves processing of patient identifiable data for the purpose of research. You will need to provide the following information: 

• Legal basis for processing under Common Law Duty of Confidentiality (CLDC): Required 
• Legal basis for processing under General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR): Required 
• NHS Research Ethics Committee (REC) approval: Required (or, alternatively, confirmation that you have used the Health Research Authority decision support tool: Do I need Research Ethics Committee approval? and determined that your project does not require NHS REC review)
• Linkage specification
• Extract specification

If approved, your request will require an Information Sharing Agreement. 

Please complete the ‘Request for patient-level data (identifiable, anonymised, pseudonymised) form’. 

Requests involving processing of Patient Identifiable Data for service delivery, planning or clinical audit

Your responses indicate that your request involves processing patient identifiable data for the purpose of service delivery, planning or clinical audit. You will need to provide the following information:

• Legal basis for processing under Common Law Duty of Confidentiality (CLDC): Required
• Legal basis for processing under General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR): Required
• NHS Research Ethics Committee (REC) approval: Not required

If approved, your request will require an Information Sharing Agreement. Please complete the ‘Request for patient-level data (identifiable, anonymised, pseudonymised) form’.

Requests involving processing of pseudonymised patient data only for research

Your responses indicate that your request involves processing pseudonymised patient data for the purpose of service delivery, planning or clinical audit. You will need to provide the following information:

• Legal basis for processing under Common Law Duty of Confidentiality (CLDC): Not required
• Legal basis for processing under General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR): Required
• NHS Research Ethics Committee (REC) approval: Required (or, alternatively, confirmation that you have used the Health Research Authority decision support tool: Do I need Research Ethics Committee approval? and determined that your project does not require NHS REC review)

If approved, your request will require an Information Sharing Agreement. Please complete the ‘Request for patient-level data (identifiable, anonymised, pseudonymised) form’.

Requests involving processing of pseudonymised data only for service delivery, planning or clinical audit

Your responses indicate that your request involves processing pseudonymised patient data for the purpose of service delivery,

planning or clinical audit. You will need to provide the following information:

• Legal basis for processing under Common Law Duty of Confidentiality (CLDC): Not required
• Legal basis for processing under General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR): Required
• NHS Research Ethics Committee (REC) approval: Not required

If approved, your request will require an Information Sharing Agreement. Please complete the ‘Request for patient-level data (identifiable, anonymised, pseudonymised) form’.

Request for fully anonymised patient data for any purpose

Your responses indicate that your request involves processing anonymised patient data. Please note that it is not always possible to produce an extract of patient-level data that is both anonymised to ICO standards and compatible with the intended application, and that additional resources (time and cost) may be required to do so. If you wish, you can go back and amend your response regarding anonymisation. If continuing with your request for anonymised patient data, you will need to provide the following information:

• Legal basis for processing under Common Law Duty of Confidentiality (CLDC): Not required
• Legal basis for processing under General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR): Not required
• NHS Research Ethics Committee (REC) approval: Not required

Please complete the ‘Request for patient-level data (identifiable, anonymised, pseudonymised) form’.

Requests for aggregate data only for any purpose

Your responses indicate that your request is for the production of aggregate data only. Please note that if your request involves highly granular tables or rare patient groups, in which any table cell may represent fewer than 10 patient records, then it may need to be considered as involving a higher level of identifiability.

ICNARC will consider whether your request requires an Information Sharing Agreement.

Please complete the ‘Request for aggregate data or analysis form’.

Inquiries regarding unfunded analysis and proposals for collaboration

You have indicated that you do not have resources to support your request. As an independent research organization and registered charity, ICNARC provides data services on a cost-recovery basis and is generally unable to support unfunded requests. If you would like to discuss your request with us, please contact us briefly explaining your request, and the reason for your request, in your own words.

Contact us

Contact us, briefly explaining the reason for your request and the data you require in your own words