A joined-up approach to ethics, data, and contracts
The Guy’s Cancer Cohort (GCC) provides a single REC-approved framework for using routinely collected cancer data to answer clinically relevant research questions. But what makes this model powerful isn’t just ethical approval, it’s how everything around it is integrated. The RWE team supports the full pathway: from study design and database build (often in REDCap), to data access, contracting, and analysis. Within this system, once a study is approved, projects can move quickly into contracting (e.g. Data Sharing Agreements), allowing data to be accessed and analysed without unnecessary delays.
A simple but effective contracting solution
As a senior KCL employed researcher with an honorary GSTT contract, I was formally authorised to sign Data Sharing Agreements on behalf of GSTT. It’s a small change, but with big impact.
By recognising the reality of joint NHS–academic roles, this approach:
- avoids duplicate contracting steps
- reduces back-and-forth between institutions
- speeds up data access for approved studies
- keeps clear accountability within governance frameworks
This is exactly the kind of pragmatic solution we want to make visible for others to utilise.
Why it matters in practice
The RWE Programme operates at real scale: dozens of projects approved each year, supported across multiple tumour groups, alongside high volumes of data requests and national collaborations.
To keep this pipeline moving, contracting and data access processes must be efficient, not restrictive. That’s why governance is embedded into the infrastructure itself, alongside tools like the Enterprise Data Warehouse and secure REDCap databases, rather than treated as a separate, downstream step.
This joined-up approach has already enabled:
- multi-site registries with national participation
- industry collaborations under structured agreements
- rapid service evaluations using real-world NHS data
A model for the future
As data-driven research becomes more complex spanning organisations, datasets, and sectors, the need for flexible contracting models will only grow.
This example shows what’s possible when governance is designed around collaboration. By aligning roles, permissions, and infrastructure across GSTT and KCL, we can ensure that research moves at the pace that patients need, without compromising rigour or security.
You can also read more about our research here