Overview

Background

This project is the next step from the report completed in MVM317 which explored which actions should be taken in the short, medium, and long term to move towards compliance with the framework agreements and the NHS Lothian Requirements.  

This project’s output will benefit the researchers and staff in UoE by creating a uniform approach for guidance on appropriate IT systems, services, and processes to use to help researchers comply with the IT requirements of The Framework. 

Overview of the NHS Lothian Health Board Framework Agreement  

The NHS Lothian Health Board (LHB) Framework Agreement is an essential legal document that has been officially ratified through court proceedings. This Framework Agreement sets up a structured and solid foundation for managing the exchange of data and information between participating entities, including the University of Edinburgh (UoE) and related partners.  

Key aspects covered under this agreement include the principles of ethical management, governance, delineation of employment responsibilities, intellectual property rights, and the protocols for reporting. This comprehensive document is crucial for setting the standards and guidelines with which data or information shared by the Lothian Health Board is to be handled. 

For researchers and staff at the University of Edinburgh, The Framework serves as a detailed guide on how to manage and utilise the provided data responsibly. It ensures the maintenance of data integrity and supports the adoption of best practices throughout all facets of the agreement. Additionally, the Framework outlines the legal requirements and established protocols that define and guide the work performed by researchers and staff, ensuring that all activities conform to the highest standards of legality and ethical conduct.  

Scope

The scope of this project is to produce a resource tool to provide guidance for those UoE staff who contribute in agreed joint research activity, governed by The Framework, on appropriate use of UoE recommended IT systems, services and processes for their requirements. The project will meet with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) across CMVM to gather requirements and conduct analysis on research examples, IT and Data administrative processes, and assess the IT tools used for their projects. A due diligence of the IT tools will be conducted in the project and presented in D4.1 and D4.2.  The primary deliverable of the project will be a SharePoint site to act as a single point of digitised information to present relevant UoE IT guidance for use by all UoE stakeholders involved in conducting agreed joint research projects, where the Framework applies. The full development of the SharePoint site (O1) lies within CMVM, and there is no requirement for involvement from the SharePoint Team or Software Development within IS Apps. If issues arise that impact this area, our informed stakeholder representing IS Apps will be consulted, though this is not anticipated. The primary technique to gather the processes and requirements for such research will be through discovery workshops led by the Project Team with Subject Matter Experts at the start of the project. 

Out of scope

Support, guidance or assistance with non-IT aspects for the operation or maintenance of the Framework, such as: 

• Governance, Ethics, and non-IT operational advice about the Framework Agreement. 
• Legal aspects or non-IT comprehension of the Framework Agreement. 
• Other non-IT elements of the Framework Agreement.  
• Creation and management of an associated Data Asset Register, as referenced in MVM317. 
  • This register does not exist, and it is not the responsibility of IT to create or maintain such an asset. 
  • As part of operating the Framework Agreement, a list of “joint research activity” is created and maintained by the Edinburgh Research Office. This could be used as the basis for next steps consideration for such an asset register. 
• Developing a logging system for keeping track of research progress. 
• Monitoring progress for the research cycle. 
• Developing online/digital Information Security questionnaire, as referenced in MVM317. 
• Additional action following the gap analysis from MVM317. 
• Registering or tracking use of Bring your Own Device for those involved in operating the Framework Agreement project/s. 

Objectives and Deliverables

Benefits

The University and NHS Lothian have a Framework Agreement (hence forth named ‘The Framework’) which the University currently meets in relation to the requirements from the NHS Board on data management. The agreements are between:  

• NHS Lothian Health Board and the University Court   
• NHS Digital and the University Court 

The College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine (CMVM) works closely with the National Health Service (NHS) across many aspects of research and education. This includes access for university researchers to NHS facilities and patients; their data and samples as well as reciprocal access for NHS staff to university facilities, systems and expertise. Many research projects are jointly developed and delivered by University and NHS staff.  The NHS also supports university matriculated students in their clinical education and research projects.  A large number of UoE and NHS staff have Honorary contracts with the other organisation to facilitate these mutually beneficial activities.

Key Benefits realised from this project are: 

• Mandatory compliance of the NHS Lothian Framework Agreement between NHS Lothian and the University Court.  
  • The deliverables will increase confidence and assurance for UoE colleagues participating in joint research work, where the Framework applies, that IT compliance and best practices can be achieved by following the guidance provided and that this will be maintained in future. 
• College business and research strategy requires compliance with the Framework Agreement.

  • This project will benefit the researchers and staff in the UoE by creating a uniform approach with guidance on appropriate IT systems, services, and enhanced processes to use to help researchers comply with the IT requirements of The Framework. 

  • This should ease on-boarding for future joint research work, where the framework applies. 

• UoE colleagues will have easy access to and wider visibility of appropriate IT systems, services and enhanced processes to use. They will have more transparency on costs for using these systems and services, which will help planning and budget forecasting and control.  

• While the resource is designed and purpose-build for researchers in CMVM, the final product could be an exemplar for other Colleges/Schools for assisting their researchers in maintaining compliancy with similar frameworks. 

Success Criteria

The successful accomplishment and sign off of all 'Must Have' deliverables to the project with handover conducted prior to the closure of the project. 

Project Milestones