What we do
We provide services that support the full research journey:
Access data
Guidance and signposting for linked NHS datasets, audits, registries, cohorts, and emerging imaging resources.
Use data effectively
Reusable phenotypes, codelists, pipelines, dashboards, documentation, and training resources.
Connect people and expertise
Collaboration, community engagement, and patient and public involvement that help shape national cardiovascular data science services.
Why this matters
Heart and circulatory diseases remain a leading cause of illness and death in the UK. Secure and responsible use of health data can help researchers understand disease, identify opportunities for prevention, improve diagnosis and treatment, and evaluate how care is delivered across the NHS.
Our role is to make high-quality cardiovascular data and research support easier to discover, access, and use responsibly so that researchers can focus on generating evidence that benefits patients and the public.
How we work
Our service model is designed around three stages:
Explore
relevant datasets, phenotypes, and research resources.
Access
data through trusted governance-approved routes.
Deliver
high-quality research using curated assets, training, and community support.
Working together
We believe that better cardiovascular research depends on collaboration between researchers, clinicians, data scientists, infrastructure providers, patients, and the public. Through our services, partnerships, and community activities, we aim to build a sustainable ecosystem for data-enabled cardiovascular research across the UK.
Governance and transparency
How data is accessed
We have robust governance processes and secure services that enable researchers to access [anonymised] health data through Trusted Research Environments.
Our principles
- Privacy and confidentiality
- Public benefit
- Transparency
- Scientific integrity
- Responsible data use
Helpful links
Contact bhfdsc@hdruk.ac.uk for governance queries.
Our funders
We work in collaboration with our funders, NHS partners, academic collaborators, research infrastructure partners, patients, and the public.
The BHF is the biggest independent funder of research into cardiovascular disease in the UK. Their vision is a world where everyone has a healthier heart for longer.
Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) is the national institute for health data science. As a non-profit, HDR UK are connecting academia, government, industry and the public across all four nations of the UK to enable researchers, scientists and healthcare professionals to identify, understand and overcome the great healthcare challenges of our age through data.
Find out more about our partners.
Who we work withContact us
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