Health Data Compass

Introducing the Health Data Compass - Coming Soon

The Health Data Compass is a new evidence hub designed to bring together what we collectively know about public attitudes toward the use of health and care data

The health data landscape is busy, fast-moving, and often fragmented. Across the NHS, government, research, and civil society, many groups are trying to understand what people think and expect when their health data is used – but too often this work happens in silos, with duplication and missed opportunities.

Developed by Understanding Patient Data (UPD), the Compass will make it easier for policymakers, researchers, advocates and engagement professionals to access clear, consistent and up‑to‑date insights on health data, helping the whole system make more informed, aligned and trusted decisions in line with public expectations.

Launching Autumn 2026, the Health Data Compass will:

  • Combine insights from PPIE, community engagement, surveys, research, literature and UPD’s own public sentiment tracking.
  • Show the range of views, feelings and expectations that different people and communities have when their health data is used.
  • Highlight trends and gaps in current evidence.
  • Support smarter, more joined‑up engagement and reduce duplication of effort.
  • Improve the visibility and impact of insights generated across the system.

Built with the community it is designed to serve, the Compass is being co‑developed through interviews, workshops and testing with partners from across policy, research, PPIE, advocacy and the devolved nations. This work is shaping everything from design and scope to functionality and governance.

Interested in the Health Data Compass and want to be involved? Complete this expression of interest form for updates, previews and opportunities to get involved with this ongoing development.

Update Log: How We’re Building the Compass

The Compass is being shaped through a multi‑stage co‑development process. Here’s what we’ve achieved so far.

Phase 1 engagement achieved initial agreement for the delivery of the Health Data Compass, and an understanding of what made it valuable. This phase involved qualitative interviews which helped to achieve early buy-in from trusted voices across the community, running from October – December 2025.

As part of this phase we:

  • Conducted interviews across the sector to test the initial concept.
  • Confirmed broad support for a shared evidence hub on public attitudes to health data.
  • Identified early opportunities where this resource could add real value.

The second phase of engagement was achieved through the delivery of dedicated workshops with cross-community representatives from January to March 2026, working towards the co-development of the Health Data Compass.

Workshops helped answer vital questions about the development and use of this resource to ensure the compass becomes an additive, valuable and insightful asset for a broad health data community.

Workshops were held around the following themes:

  • Workshop 1: How the Compass adds value
    This workshop helped us understanding how the hub should present insights in a way that is actionable for a broad community, and defining scope for this resource for where it is most valuable.
  • Workshop 2: What helps us trust insights
    This workshop helped us to understand what kind of information people need sight of to determine if they trust public insights, and balancing that with creating a submission process that feels simple and efficient to complete.
  • Workshop 3: Look, feel and functionality
    This workshop helped us map out user journeys and how people want to interact with and navigate this resource, including the kind of functionality it should have.
  • Workshop 4: Wrap‑around engagement programme
    This workshop helped us map out what a wrap around programme of activity could look like to support this hub in going beyond simply collating insights to create actionable impacts across the sector.

Download the full report, or read the reflective blog from Charlie Wilkinson, UPD Community & Partnerships Manager.

Guided by insights and feedback from the co-development process, we are moving into full design and development of the Health Data Compass, aiming for an Autumn 2026 launch.

As development progresses over the coming months, we will continue to share updates, materials, and drafts for refinement - ensuring we keep co‑development active throughout this process, this will include:

  • Set up of a project steering group to offer strategic direction and advice throughout this process.
  • Testing and further co‑development as we refine and build this evidence hub with the health data community.