Data Access request for research

NOCA encourages high-quality research within an ethical framework designed to improve clinical care provided to patients. The NOCA Information Governance Policy refers only to access to clinical audit data by researchers.

This will encompass a wide range of activities such as:

  • Primary research led by the National Office of Clinical Audit

  • Collaborative research with other national and international research partners

  • Facilitation of access to data routinely collected for clinical audit for analysis.

NOCA will authorise access to clinical audit data for purposes of research. This may be done by NOCA alone or in collaboration with audit processors, with whom NOCA work with to provide national clinical audit.

All requests for access to data for research purposes are managed equitably, through the same process, whether the request comes from NOCA internally or from an external source. Access to clinical audit data for research purposes will only be granted when audit data has been reported at a national level. All requests for data for research purposes are considered by the Individual audit governance committees and the NOCA Governance Board.