Our response to PM's announcement of new Health Data Research Service

Kieran Winterburn, Alzheimer’s Society’s Head of National Influencing, said: 

“Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer. Research will beat dementia, but we need to make it a reality sooner - through more funding, more partnership working, better access to data and more people taking part in dementia research.

“That’s why Alzheimer’s Society welcomes the Prime Minister’s announcement today that red tape will be slashed for researchers, with a new secure, single access point to NHS data.

Dementia researchers can face gridlock with a lengthy and complex process to access NHS data, navigating through various systems to gather the information they need for vital population and clinical studies.

“As well as improving access to existing data, we also need to see improvements in the recording, analysis and collation of health data generally. 

"There’s a serious disconnect between the scale and urgency of dementia as a condition and the relative scarcity of existing data on it. Having more data on dementia published will be crucial to improving diagnosis, care, and service planning.

“We’re so proud that Alzheimer’s Society-funded research 30 years ago led to the breakthroughs in disease-modifying treatments we’ve seen recently.  Research we fund now, powered by better access to data, will be pivotal in unlocking more breakthroughs.