Barts implements anonymisation tool that will boost data research capabilities
Barts Health NHS Trust, London, which serves one of the largest and most diverse patient populations in the country, has become the first healthcare provider in the NHS to implement Anonymise and Export from medical imaging IT company Sectra. “As part of wider activity, it means that researchers will be empowered to shed new light on diseases, tailor treatments, and potentially inform the next generation of healthcare AI,” says Sectra.
Anonymise and Export has been implemented within the trust’s existing Sectra enterprise imaging solution, a system widely used by NHS diagnosticians to analyse patient scans. The new addition will allow for the export of medical images to a secure data environment, with patient identifiers automatically removed. This negates a previous manually intensive process. The de-identified imaging data will be integrated into the new Barts Health Data Platform, which brings together different types of health information such as scans, health records and lab results into one secure system that researchers can apply to use.
“We are now able to provide researchers and clinicians with access to health and imaging data at a scale we have not offered before,” Barts Health NHS Trust deputy chief information officer Steven Newhouse commented. “With robust safeguards in place, this development supports more efficient, secure research and marks meaningful progress in advancing medical innovation and understanding of disease.”
Chief information officer Sarah Jensen added: “The diversity and sheer volume of data being integrated means a significant leap forward in our healthcare data research capabilities. NHS professionals are under pressure as they work to deliver the best possible care for patients. Academics and researchers in continual pursuit of medical advancements can play a key role delivering innovations urgently needed.
“Now, we can securely and safely provide the data they need on a scale not previously possible, while safeguarding confidentiality, and without our busy NHS teams being asked to spend time manually removing identifiable information. The possibilities are immense.”
Picture: Attendees at the Barts Health Data Platform’s Minimum Viable Product launch event in December 2024.
Read this report on page 11 of the July 2025 issue of RAD Magazine.
