We ask study volunteers if they are willing to provide us access to their electronic health records, collected by the NHS as part of routine care. We’re asking your permission to allow them to share details of your past and future health with us. We plan to look for patterns of health in people who take part in the study. The NHS records a wealth of data including drug prescriptions, hospital admissions and lab tests. 

We’ll securely send the relevant NHS organisation your name, address and date of birth, so they can find your records for us. All information is treated confidentially, de-identified and coded before analysis. 

The NHS only releases data for research after a stringent approval process. It gives permission on the basis that there is not enough detail to personally identify any individual, the data is held safely, and it is analysed by safe researchers.