New partnership with Bristol NHS Group set to revolutionise data access

A new data engineering hub is set to transform our region’s healthcare and research landscape.

The Bristol Research and Innovation Data Engineering (BRIDE) Hub is a pioneering partnership between Bristol NHS Group, University of Bristol, the University of the West of England, the NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre and the South West Secure Data Environment (SDE).

This collaboration represents a major leap forward in how health and care data is used to drive life-saving research while maintaining the highest standards of privacy and security. 

A modern foundation for discovery

The South West SDE provides a secure, cloud-based platform for researchers to access and analyse de-personalised data from across the region’s population of over 5 million people. Researchers will only be able to access the data they need for their approved projects.  

By centralising access to data from primary care, secondary care and social care, the SDE eliminates the need for researchers to navigate complex, fragmented systems. 

BRIDE Hub will be one of many partners making the South West SDE an innovative engine for data research. The Hub team will provide engineering skills to bring data from Bristol hospitals into this infrastructure.  

The Hub will enable secure, trusted access to the wealth of data held by University Hospitals Bristol and Weston and North Bristol, the two trusts in the Bristol NHS Group. 

By developing automated data pipelines and applying international standards, the BRIDE Hub ensures that complex health datasets are high-quality, interoperable and research ready.  

Innovation at the core

The BRIDE Hub partnership focuses on several cutting-edge aspects designed to accelerate medical breakthroughs: 

• AI and machine learning integration: The BRIDE Hub will test and develop AI tools using real-world NHS case studies to identify disease patterns and predict patient outcomes more accurately 

• Multi-modal data handling: The project isn’t limited to standard records. It aims to integrate diverse data types, including imaging such as X-rays and scans, genomics and pathology, into a unified environment 

• Tackling inequalities: By allowing access to data from the Bristol NHS Group’s diverse population, the BRIDE Hub will improve access to groups historically under-represented in clinical trials 

Dr Rachel Denholm, the South West SDE and BRIDE Hub Research Lead, said: 

“With the South West SDE and BRIDE Hub, we are building a world-leading ecosystem for data-driven research and healthcare. This will drive research and innovation investment in the South West. But, more importantly, it promises to bring new treatments and improved care to patients faster than ever before.”