February 19, 2025

Expansion of the OpenSAFELY data platform

During the pandemic we all got to know the names and purpose of many big datasets. There was REACT that showed us where the virus was and numbers of infections; ONS that reported weekly on covid deaths; and OpenSAFELY that gave fast secure access to GP records, and within weeks was able to tell us which groups of people were at most risk. While most of these surveillance projects were stopped as the pandemic diminished, OpenSAFELY has lived on and is now being expanded to cover all clinical topics.
We are constantly told that NHS GP data is a phenomenal national asset, with uniquely huge potential to support research and improve NHS care. But this data has not historically been available at whole-population scale, because of the privacy challenges of working with sensitive patient records. The OpenSAFELY team will use this briefing to explain how, by inventing new ways to protect patients’ privacy, they believe they can earn the trust of clinicians and privacy advocates. As a result, it’s now able to give highly secure access to whole population GP data.

The SMC invited the leading scientists behind OpenSAFELY to explain how their platform is being extended, the principles on which the project will operate and how it’s pioneering radical approach to patient privacy can act as a beacon of openness and trust to other data projects. The panel shared more details about 180 projects it is now supporting from users at 30 institutions. Finally we learned just how a data platform like OpenSAFELY can benefit our health.

This news briefing coincided with a funding announcement from Wellcome. 

Speakers included:

Professor Liam Smeeth, Director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Professor of Clinical Epidemiology

Professor Ben Goldacre, Director of Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science

Michael Chapman, Director of Data Access & Partnerships, NHS England

Tariq Khokhar, Head of Data for Science and Health, Wellcome

Pete Stokes, Director of Platform Development, Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science

This Briefing was accompanied by an SMC Roundup of Comments.