HDR UK South-West

Overview

The HDR UK South West regional network aims to develop regional capability and expertise in health data science by curating data, developing platforms to access sensitive, novel data assets, and advancing methods to analyse population-wide, linked administrative health data.

Our experts lead the development and delivery of regional and national health data research infrastructure development for research (including national and sub-national secure data environments and the UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration); they provide research leadership underpinning the delivery of HDR UK driver programmes and deliver regional training and capacity building initiatives.

The HDR UK South West regional network is led by Co-Directors Rachel Denholm and Jonathan Sterne in collaboration with a wider team from across the South West including the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Exeter and Plymouth and local NHS partners.

Regional Co Leads

Regional Expertise

Population-wide Electronic Health Records research using a variety of secure data environments (SDEs)
Development and implementation of SDEs
Comparative effectiveness research using causal inference and target trial emulation methodology
AI & machine learning
Epidemiology
Operational Research
Research infrastructure development
Training and capacity building in health data science

Major Infrastructure Development Programmes
- UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration
- South West Secure Data Environment
- Southern SDE Consortium
- Isambard AI
Research
- Deliver HDR UK’s Big Data for Complex Disease, Medicines in Acute and Chronic Care, and Social and Environmental Determinants of Health Research Driver Programmes 
- Population-wide Electronic Health Records research using a variety of SDEs
- HDR UK SW Seedcorn Project funding:
- Ensuring research ready clinical pathology data integration into the South West Secure Data Environment, A Dowsey
- Hub for Data Science in Applied Health & Social Care, A Mayne
- Unlocking the Power of UK Hospital Data for research: Delivery of a reproducible OMOP pipeline to deliver data from the Devon Epic instance to the South West Secure Data Environment, J Masoli
- Turning data into actionable NHS policy insights: developing data visualisation methods for population health management (PHM) of inequalities in cancer and cardiovascular disease outcomes, U Kadam
- Build on the region’s patient and public involvement and engagement strategy led by People in Health West of England based at University of the West of England.
Training and Capacity Building
- Deliver academic training for applied health services and operational research across the region, including MScs, short courses and capacity building events 
- HDR UK SW Seminar series
- South West Analytics and Infrastructure in Healthcare network/Annual Meeting
- LEAP Digital Health Hub
Other important regional data assets

Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)

Exeter 10,000 (EXTEND)
1. IPACS: Developing simulation tools to improve patient care

The Improving Patient Flow between Acute, Community, and Social Care (IPACS) project showcases the value of real-world application of simulation tools that enable healthcare managers and organisations to better understand complex pathways, evaluate potential solutions before implementation, and make more informed, evidence-based decisions about resource allocation to improve patient flow and reduce delays to patient discharge. This project was a collaboration between HDR SW members from the University of Bath, University of Exeter, and the Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Integrated Care Board.

https://integratedcarejournal.com/data-solutions-to-solve-the-south-wests-patient-discharge-crisis/

https://stories.bath.ac.uk/research-with-impact/research-with-impact/redesigning-healthcare/index.html

A Demand and Capacity Model For Home-Based Intermediate Care: Optimizing The ‘Step Down’ Pathway

Optimising the balance of acute and intermediate care capacity for the complex discharge pathway: Computer modelling study during COVID-19 recovery in England

The False Economy of Seeking to Eliminate Delayed Transfers of Care: Some Lessons from Queueing Theory

Improving hospital discharge flow through scalable use of discrete time simulation and scenario analysis

2. COVID-19 vaccination research: using health data to influence policy decisions

Collaborative research on the cardiovascular implications of COVID-19 vaccination was awarded the 2024 HDR UK Susannah Boddie Award for Impact of the Year in recognition of novel, collaborative approaches to use of routinely collected medicines data for the management of chronic conditions with rapid clinical uptake. The University of Bristol’s EHR research group contributed to this research as part of an HDR UK led collaboration involving the BHF Data Science Centre.

Association of COVID-19 vaccines ChAdOx1 and BNT162b2 with major venous, arterial, or thrombocytopenic events: A population-based cohort study of 46 million adults in England

In addition, the University of Bristol’s EHR research group have published extensively on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (estimated using target trial emulation approaches) with collaborators in Oxford and at LSHTM, and have just secured a new NIHR programme grant to develop, evaluate and apply methods to evaluate respiratory vaccine effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.

Waning effectiveness of BNT162b2 and ChAdOx1 covid-19 vaccines over six months since second dose: OpenSAFELY cohort study using linked electronic health records

Comparative effectiveness of ChAdOx1 versus BNT162b2 covid-19 vaccines in health and social care workers in England: cohort study using OpenSAFELY

Comparative effectiveness of BNT162b2 versus mRNA-1273 covid-19 vaccine boosting in England: matched cohort study in OpenSAFELY-TPP

Challenges in Estimating the Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccination Using Observational Data

Challenges in estimating the effectiveness of two doses COVID-19 vaccine beyond six months in England

Impact of vaccination on the association of COVID-19 with cardiovascular diseases: An OpenSAFELY cohort study

Effectiveness of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines as First Booster Doses in England: An Observational Study in OpenSAFELY-TPP

3. Understanding Secure Data Environments: developing training for new users of these platforms

The region hosts teams that have experience of analysing complex health data across multiple SDEs and/or have lead roles in the design and operation of SDEs. Based on the unique expertise in the region, members of HDR UK South West have developed multiple training resources for SDE working for professional researchers.

Understanding Trusted Research Environments | Bristol Medical School | University of Bristol

Showcasing and bringing together emerging health data researchers and technologists – HDR UK