In Northern Ireland the National Health Service (NHS) is referred to as HSC or Health and Social Care. Just like the NHS is it free at the point of delivery but  in Northern Ireland it also provides social care services like home care services, family and children’s services, day care services and social work services.

The Department of Health, Social Services and Public safety has over all authority for health and social care services. Services are commissioned by the Health and Social Care Board and provided by five health and Social Care Trusts – Belfast, the largest of the five, South Eastern, Southern, Northern and Western.

Honest Broker Service (HBS)

The Honest Broker Service (HBS) for Health and Social Care Northern Ireland enables non-identifiable data to be safely shared to maximise the uses and health service benefits which can be gained from it, including planning, commissioning of services and public health monitoring.

The HBS enables access to anonymised, aggregated and in some cases pseudonymised health and social care data to the Department of Health, HSC organisations and for anonymised data for health and social care related research.

HSCNI datasets in the Innovation Gateway

HSCNI data uses in the Innovation Gateway

Further information

To discuss your research needs, please contact the HBS at hbs@hscni.net or call 028 9536 3137.

Work that HSCNI has been involved in: