Guidance

Approval standards

Updated 2 August 2024

The approval standards are the criteria UKHSA uses to assess applications to access ‘Protected’ data. They set out the minimum requirements for a data application and enable the UKHSA to make decisions that are consistent and objective.

Each standard has accompanying guidelines. The guidelines describe the general rules and principles around each standard and provide guidance that will help you properly address the requirements for a successful application. Where possible, we have also included examples in the guidelines.

Title/name of approval standard Approval standard Guidelines
How to complete the UKHSA data application form Not applicable Coming soon
Scientific protocol V1.0 published 18/05/2022 V1.0 published 18/05/2022
Data specification V1.1 published 28/07/2023 V1.1 published 28/07/2023
Lawful processing – UK GDPR V1.0 published 20/07/2022 V1.0 published 20/07/2022
Lawful processing – confidential patient information V1.0 published 10/10/2022 V1.0 published 10/10/2022
Privacy notice V1.0 published 18/05/2022 V1.0 published 18/05/2022
Engaging a data processor V1.0 published 27/05/2022 V1.0 published 27/05/2022
Data flow diagram V1.0 published 21/06/2022 V1.0 published 21/06/2022
Data security V1.0 published 06/07/2022 V1.0 published 06/07/2022
Processing location V1.0 published 10/10/2022 V1.0 published 10/10/2022
Data protection registration V1.0 published 06/07/2022 V1.0 published 06/07/2022
Upholding objections under the national data opt-out V1.0 published 10/10/2022 V1.0 published 10/10/2022
Lay summary V1.0 published 10/10/2022 V1.0 published 10/10/2022
Onward sharing and sub-licensing V1.0 published 27/01/2023 V1.0 published 27/01/2023
Ethical assessment V1.0 published 10/01/2023 V1.0 published 10/01/2023

Support with your application

Contact DataAccess@ukhsa.gov.uk for assistance with your application or if you have any queries about the application process or the approval standards.

Providing feedback

UKHSA welcomes your feedback on the content of the approval standards and guidelines. To share your feedback with us, contact DataAccess@ukhsa.gov.uk