SDE Network Lunch & Learn: Attitudes to Healthcare Data for Planning and Research

 

On 26^th Feb 2026, the Thames Valley & Surrey Secure Data Environment (TVS SDE) hosted an SDE Network Lunch & Learn session focused on attitudes to healthcare data for planning and research, with a particular emphasis on engaging seldom‑heard communities. The session was presented by Sian and brought together colleagues from across the SDE Network to share learning, reflect on challenges, and explore how trust, transparency and communication shape people’s experiences of health and care data.

 

The session drew on engagement work with people experiencing homelessness and with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.

It highlighted key themes including the diversity within and across communities, the impact of historical and current experiences with health services, challenges around how people’s backgrounds are recorded, and the importance of clearly explaining how healthcare data is collected, used, shared and protected. Through discussion and real‑world examples, the session reinforced why meaningful engagement and plain‑English communication are essential when using data for service planning and research.

A range of supporting resources were shared during the session, including short animations, detailed reports and wider learning materials to help colleagues build their understanding and apply the learning in practice. The slides presented during the Lunch & Learn are attached below for reference.