Guy’s and St Thomas’ to launch secure data environment

Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust has partnered with NTT DATA to create a secure data environment (SDE).

The SDE aims to provide NHS leaders with the information and insights required to improve the care received by patients and families.

The platform is under construction and will be stood up from late spring 2026, with capabilities built gradually after that.

Once live, it is hoped the project will deliver better management of patient journeys, use non-clinical data to cut waiting times, reduce no-shows and improve the design of services to meet patients’ needs.

In a LinkedIn post, Dr Simon Steddon, chief medical officer at Guy’s and St Thomas’ and senior responsible officer for the programme, said: “This initiative is a vital step in harnessing data to improve patient care and support our clinicians.

“By creating a secure, integrated environment, we can unlock insights that help us deliver safer, more personalised care while protecting patient privacy. It’s about using data responsibly to make a real difference to health outcomes.”

Denis Lafitte, chief digital and information officer at Guy’s and St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and Southeast London Integrated Care Board, added that the “SDE will provide richer, integrated health data insight that will contribute to improved outcomes for patients living in southeast London”.

The platform is being built by NTT DATA on Snowflake’s data and AI platform, alongside partners from InterWorks and a team of experts from Guy’s and St Thomas’.

It is designed so that data does not need to be copied and transmitted around the wider health system. Instead, data remains in place, with responsible owners under tight controls and all data stored in the UK.

Flann Horgan, vice president, healthcare at NTT DATA UK and Ireland, said: “NTT DATA is delighted to be supporting Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust as it works to improve patient outcomes in our health service.

“Like the NHS, we are firmly committed to respecting people’s choices and protecting their privacy and data security, while realising the huge potential of digital technologies.

“Working with staff from Snowflake and InterWorks, along with the extraordinary clinicians, researchers and data scientists, we will strive to have a transformational impact on how the NHS operates – improving health outcomes for patients across the NHS.”

Meanwhile in November 2025, Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust confirmed it will establish a SDE for mental health research to improve understanding of mental health conditions and treatments.