Safe havens: charter

A Network of Safe Havens

Establishing and maintaining Safe Havens is expensive, technically challenging and requires highly specialised staff and technology. In response, the Scottish Government and NHS Boards created geographically based Safe Havens in conjunction with Scottish Universities. These facilities can be offered to other NHS Boards under robust governance arrangements agreed with the Data Controllers of the contracting Boards. Additionally, some Safe Havens also offer other informatics services in addition to the TRE data linkage service.

Scottish Safe Havens operate on a not-for-profit basis, partially supported by Scottish Government but primarily through charging for data access services through recovery of costs that can include support for further development to the node and network.

There are five Safe Havens in Scotland that have been commissioned by Scottish Government and NHS Scotland Boards: one in each of the four lead regional NHS Research Scotland (NRS) nodes (in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow), and a National Safe Haven within eDRIS, Public Health Scotland. The SSHN works with Research Data Scotland (RDS) to facilitate governance, access and linkage of data for health-relevant scientific research.

Together, the SSHN works collaboratively to support health and social care research and innovation and health-relevant scientific research across Scotland. Each Safe Haven may also work independently to provide advice and assistance to researchers as well as other organisations to enable health and social care research and innovation on the de-identified research datasets they create. All Safe Havens have individual responsibilities to operate in full compliance with all relevant codes of practice, legislation, statutory orders and in accordance with current good professional practice and have been independently accredited.

The Safe Havens adhere to the principles and standards outlined in this Charter. Compliance across the Scottish Safe Haven Network will be assessed annually, with findings collated by RDS and formally reported to Digital Health and Care at the Scottish Government.