National Data Resource (NDR)

Wales is introducing a new way of making sure health and social care data can be shared and used effectively to support better outcomes for people – the National Data Resource (NDR).

What is the NDR?

The NDR is a national data platform which is hosted by Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW) and funded by Welsh Government.

It aims to securely connect health and social care data across Wales, making it easier to access, analyse and use in an ethical and safe way.

The NDR is being delivered in partnership by organisations across health and social care in Wales. This includes Social Care Wales, all health boards and trusts, Public Health Wales, and the Welsh Government.

We’re working together to make sure data can be shared and used for the benefit of people in Wales.

The NDR is made up of three main areas of work:

Care Data Repository: This is Wales’ central hub for care data and enables health and care apps to access and contribute to patient records.
National Data and Analytics Platform: This will help health and care organisations in Wales to securely store, access and analyse data to improve outcomes for people.
Secure Data Environment: This helps people from health and social care organisations, industry and academia to carry out data studies together in a safe and controlled environment to tackle key challenges.

You won’t need to access the NDR directly. You’ll be connected to it through the computer system you already use in your everyday work.

Why is it being introduced?

We know that good communication is key to effective support in health and social care.

At the moment, important information about us is spread across different computer systems that don't communicate well with each other. This can make it harder for professionals to access the right information at the right time.

We need to be able to share information about people's health and social care needs much more effectively than we currently can.

The NDR will bring your important health and social care data together, so that professionals can make the right decisions for, and with, you and your loved ones.

The NDR can also help improve health and social care in Wales by providing anonymous data for research and planning.

How will the information be shared?

There are very strict rules about where and when people’s information can be shared, and who it can be shared with.

Data in the NDR will only ever be shared with the professionals who need access to information about the people they’re working with.

Your information will also only be shared when it's needed, and only the pieces of information that a professional needs to see will be shared.

Example: Gwenda's story

Gwenda's in hospital after a fall.

Gwenda, her family and doctors agree she needs temporary residential care to recover.

Because the hospital, social services and care home are all connected to the NDR, they can all access important details like Gwenda's medication, allergies and care plan.

This means Gwenda and her family don't have to repeat the same information over and over to each service, and there's less risk of errors.

When is the NDR being introduced?

The NDR will start to deliver on some of its objectives from 2025, and we’re hoping that all organisations working in or providing a social care service will be able to join before 2030.

We're already supporting social care to get ready for the NDR, through projects such as our data maturity and data standards work.

The NDR is designed to complement other work being done in this area, such as the Connecting Care and Integrated Care Record initiatives, rather than compete with it.

Find out more

If you’d like to find out more about how the NDR is being introduced in social care in Wales, please contact data@socialcare.wales.

For more general information about the NDR, visit the Digital Health and Care Wales website.