Key Summary
- ABPI has published a new report detailing practical priorities to turn fragmented UK health datasets into a world-leading research asset.
- Industry recommendations centre on comprehensive four-nation GP data integration, standardised hospital prescribing linkage, and predictable, transparent access timelines.
- The initiative builds on the Sudlow Review and a £500m government commitment under the Life Sciences Sector Plan.
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has set out a roadmap for the development of the UK's new Health Data Research Service (HDRS), describing the initiative as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to establish the nation as a global life sciences powerhouse.
The report, titled Pharmaceutical industry priorities for the Health Data Research Service, outlines clear recommendations to transform the UK's rich but historically fragmented health records into an accessible, research-ready ecosystem.
General practice records capture approximately 90% of an individual's healthcare interactions across their lifetime.
However, researchers have frequently encountered a "federation of fragments" marked by regional silos, disconnected datasets, and slow approval processes. The report said it is “rich in places, but hard to join up, slow to access, and difficult for researchers to rely on.”
Backed by a £500m government commitment in the Life Sciences Sector Plan and recommendations from the Sudlow Review, the new service aims to streamline research access while maintaining public trust.
The ABPI emphasised that public trust remains fundamental to the service, calling for all patient data to be managed within secure trusted research environments adhering to the Caldicott Principles.
Janet Messer, Director of Health Data and Digital Policy at the ABPI, highlighted the broad impact of the project: "Health data research helps identify unmet need, test new treatments, and monitor how medicines perform in everyday care. Done well, the HDRS will strengthen the UK's position as a global leader in this field and attract substantial investment, while improving outcomes for patients.
"The building blocks already exist. The task ahead is to connect what already works and make it easier and more reliable to use."
What does it mean?
- For Patients: Connecting health datasets enables researchers to identify disease trends earlier and assess how treatments work in real-world populations, all protected within secure, privacy-first environments.
- For Pharmacy & Prescribing: Linking hospital prescribing data with primary care dispensing records gives a complete view of medicines usage. This supports post-marketing safety monitoring, highlights unwarranted variation in medicine access, and helps clinicians tackle inappropriate polypharmacy.
- For the Life Sciences Sector: Standardised datasets and predictable turnaround times remove historic administrative delays, making the UK a faster, more competitive location for global clinical trials.
