Data Sharing Accord
Unlocking the potential of stored health data - safely and easily
In 2019, Sydney Health Partners developed a Data Sharing Accord (DSA) to facilitate access to and sharing of deidentified health data for research across its Partnership. A companion checklist was also developed to guide data providers and data users. SHP’s major partner organisations all endorsed the Accord. Information about these documents is available below.
In late 2021, members of Maridulu Budyari Gumal (Sydney Partnership for Health, Education, Research and Enterprise; SPHERE) expressed interested in adapting SHP’s Data Sharing Accord for use across its partnership. SHP and SPHERE agreed to work together to create a common DSA to align data sharing requirements and processes among the partners of the two research translation centres. The SHP Board and the SPHERE Council are highly supportive of this approach.
A small project team with representatives of SHP and SPHERE has been working on a revised draft Accord and Checklist. We have sought advice from NSW Health about its data sharing policy, and tried to accommodate the new national initiative that seeks to promote sharing of research data for secondary use in the revised Accord.
The revised draft Accord and Checklist are now available for comment. A short slide deck provides an overview of this project. We are especially keen for input from staff involved in research ethics; research governance; health data governance, management and oversight; data access, storage and release; and researchers who conduct data-driven health research.
The key questions for this consultation process are as follows:
- Is there anything significant that is missing from the draft Accord or Checklist that would facilitate safe and responsible data sharing?
- Is there anything unnecessary in the draft Accord or Checklist that can be removed?
- Is there anything in the draft Accord or Checklist that conflicts with current data sharing requirements or practices, and/or is unhelpful?
- Are there any other groups we should consult with about the draft documents?
- Do you have any other comments or suggestions about the draft DSA?
Feedback can be provided via the survey link.
Comments or questions can also be directed to Angela Todd, SHP via email: angela.todd@sydney.edu.au
The deadline for all feedback is 15 September 2022.
2019 Sydney Health Partners Data Sharing Accord and Checklist
The original SHP Data Sharing Accord is currently in place, and is an agreement between our five major partners –Northern Sydney Local Health District, the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (at Westmead), Sydney Local Health District, Western Sydney Local Health District and the University of Sydney – to standardise the information required from researchers when they apply for access to de-identified patient data. The existing Data Sharing Accord and Checklist aim to provide guidance on the issues researchers need to consider when requesting health data across organisational boundaries.
These documents are limited for use by Sydney Health Partners member organisations. Approval from the Chief Operating Officer, Sydney Health Partners must be obtained, prior to use outside of SHP. Please contact us if you have any queries.