Service Description
Grampian Data Safe Haven (DaSH) provides a safe facility for health science researchers to conduct research that involves the linkage of data from various sources. The facility is our response to National guidance to improve the safe handling of linked public data sets while supporting access to facilitate high quality health research. DaSH ensures…
- Safe setting
- Safe projects
- Safe people
- Safe outputs
…to enable and create better opportunities for researchers to link data and influence policy and practice to improve healthcare and public health, nationally and internationally.
DaSH builds on the long established excellence in data management for data linkage research at the University of Aberdeen offered by the Research Applications and Data Management Team, led by Ms Katie Wilde. It enhances the Data Management Team’s service providing a secure environment for the safe linkage, analysis, management and storage of datasets containing clinical and/or other data, which contain personal identifiers.
The DaSH team supports researchers through the robust governance processes to ensure safe research projects are undertaken by appropriately trained researchers; providing information about datasets, advice on data management plans and record keeping (for audit), and ensuring that any research findings are published without the risk of identifying individuals.
University of Aberdeen has a long history as a Centre of Excellence for Health Research using linked data and the Health and Data Linkage in North East Scotland (HEADLINES) network webpage has links to a number of research studies currently involving the secondary use of health data.
Features
Software currently in the Safe Haven
- SAS
- SPSS
- Stata
- R
- MlWin
- Microsoft
Users
- All registered University of Aberdeen Staff and Students
- Approved external individuals with Guest Account + Safe Haven access
Service Hours
- 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Level of Service
- Safe Haven is supported by the Research Applications and Data Management Team and access is arranged via dash@abdn.ac.uk.
- Safe Haven is available virtually on and off-site or via a physical machine in a dedicated Safe Haven Room.
- Backup and Restore of items
- Downtime: users will be contacted via email before planned outages
Support and Documentation
- Access documents will be sent to the user
- Training courses can be arranged – email dash@abdn.ac.uk
Request Process
- Requests for access are administered via the Grampian Safe Haven Management Team – email dash@abdn.ac.uk.
User Responsibility
- Users must adhere to signed declaration
- No data to be copied/removed from the safe Haven
- Outputs can be requested but must allow 2-3 working days for checking
- Users are expected to comply with the University’s Information Security Policy and Conditions for using IT Facilities
Costs
- The Safe Haven is costed on a project by project basis. Please email dash@abdn.ac.uk for more information.