Health Survey for England Bloodbank Project
Did you know?
Around 100,000 blood samples taken as part of the Health Survey for England since 1994 have permission to be used for secondary analysis by researchers.
What it is?
Since 1994, around 100,000 blood samples taken as part of the Health Survey for England have been stored after analysis for the survey dataset. The NHS IC invited researchers to apply to use these samples in their work.
What are the costs?
The NHS IC will not charge for use of the HSE blood samples. However, costs for extracting, analysing and linking the dataset will be charged by our contractors, the National Centre for Social Research and the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle
How will it work?
The samples are currently held in deep-freeze storage at the RVI and can be analysed by the staff there on your behalf. If certain analytical techniques you require are not available at RVI, we may consider allowing the samples to be transported to your own laboratory, under strict conditions.
The first wave of applications have been received and are currently undergoing an evaluation process, applicants will be notified of the outcome during 2009. We are still open to new applications for further research.
How are the applications assessed?
In order to make sure that the 100,000 samples are used fairly, we need to ensure that:
- the blood samples are used only within the limits of what the respondents agreed they could be used for
- the blood samples are analysed appropriately, and that the samples are likely to provide a useful result.
- the limited resources of blood samples is distributed fairly and openly.
Please note that the consent excludes genetic and HIV testing, so applications for work in these areas will not be considered.