Case Studies
Barts Health Data Platform
Launched in April 2025 with the support of PA Consulting, the Barts Health Data Platform brings together hospital, imaging and laboratory records for 2.5 million patients, reflecting the extraordinary diversity of East London. A key component of the platform is an Azure Trusted Research Environment that gives clinicians and academics a ready-to-analyse view of over a decade of longitudinal data. Early projects have already yielded impact—one study identified previously missed diabetes-related vascular problems, enabling earlier treatment and fewer amputations. Looking ahead, Barts Health NHS Trust plans to grow the platform so that the integrated TRE can host up to 300 concurrent research projects, opening the door to wider collaboration across academia, industry and the NHS.
Read the launch announcement and the PA Consulting client story for more information.
Oxford University Hospitals and the Thames Valley and Surrey SDE
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust uses Azure TRE within the Thames Valley and Surrey Secure Data Environment (SDE), serving a regional population of 4.3 million people. The wider platform had processed more than 30 billion records from over 25 source systems and supported 35+ live research projects and 100+ approved researchers by December 2025. Secure research workspaces and controlled data movement enable researchers to analyse sensitive data while keeping underlying health records within the NHS. Research spans cancer, mental health, dementia and lung disease, with patients and the public helping shape how data is used safely and responsibly.
Watch the TVS SDE case-study videos and read the Telefónica Tech customer story for more information.
UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine
UNC Health, UNC School of Medicine and NC TraCS Institute use Azure TRE to power the Secure Health Informatics Research Environment (SHIRE), enabling research with sensitive electronic health record data. SHIRE brings together familiar tools, including RStudio, SAS, Jupyter and Databricks, with scalable computing, including GPUs, and support for large language models within a controlled research environment. Its phased rollout began in November 2025. By May 2026, Microsoft reported 25 active studies using SHIRE, with Microsoft Fabric providing the governed data foundation for clinical and operational research datasets. The environment allows researchers to analyse data within a defined security perimeter rather than relying on local copies.
Read the UNC Health SHIRE launch announcement and the Microsoft customer story for more information.
Building the Trusted Research Environment with Azure Databricks
The importance of secure and scalable data environments in healthcare research has grown, particularly highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Trusted Research Environments (TREs) enable secure collaboration on sensitive data while maintaining patient privacy. Azure Databricks enhances TREs by offering scalable, secure, and flexible data processing capabilities. The integration of Azure Databricks into the Azure TRE blueprint allows researchers to perform complex data analysis securely, promoting innovative research and improved healthcare outcomes.
Read the full Azure Databricks case study.
Data Saves Lives: Lessons to Enable Healthcare Research by PA Consulting
The UK Government's investment in secure data environments (SDEs) aims to make health data more accessible for research, enhancing patient outcomes and accelerating life sciences research. Key lessons from implementing SDEs include leveraging cloud technologies for scalability, publicising access and pricing to facilitate research, and improving communication to drive public consent. Establishing clear data roles and shared services, building trust through transparency, and starting small to scale effectively are critical for success. These steps ensure that health data can be used ethically and efficiently, transforming care and services in the UK.