The Wessex Secure Data Environment (SDE) continues to place public trust and transparency at the heart of its development, with the latest impact report showing how patient and public insight is directly shaping the way health data is used for research.
Between June and September 2025, members of the Digital Critical Friends (DCF) group — 15 trained public participants — played a key role in reviewing the SDE’s governance policies and helping design new ways for the public to stay involved as the platform moves from development to delivery.
The DCF group completed a detailed review of eight high-priority policies, focusing on areas most critical to public trust, such as transparency, privacy, and equality. Their recommendations were presented to the Wessex SDE Board in July and are now being implemented.
To support the next phase, the SDE and DCFs have also co-designed a new working group structure to embed public participation directly into ongoing operations. This will ensure that public voices continue to inform governance decisions and the design of future services.
These developments sit alongside the establishment of an independent Wessex Data Access Committee, which includes four public members and ensures that all data access requests are fair, transparent, and in the public interest.
Together, these milestones reflect the SDE’s commitment to co-design, openness, and accountability, responding to evolving national policy, researcher needs, and the expectations of Wessex residents.
Read the full PPIE Impact Report: June–September 2025.