ADR UK data access: Covid-19 update

In line with many other organisations, ADR UK data services changed their ways of working in accordance with coronavirus-related government guidelines at the start of the pandemic. As official guidelines have been modified, so have our new ways of working. The below sets out how our data services currently operate; this page is regularly updated.

Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency (NISRA), ADR Northern Ireland 

• The secure research room in Colby House closed on 14 October in response to recent local restrictions. This decision will be reviewed four weeks after the closure date. 

• Visit the NISRA website for more information. 

Secure Research Service (SRS), Office for National Statistics (ONS) 

• The SRS Safe physical laboratory space is temporarily closed until further notice. 

• The ONS team have put a range of measures in place to enable secure remote working wherever there is a high priority need, and where the obligations to data security can be maintained. They are expanding temporary remote access from high priority need to include additional projects, subject to application and criteria including project purpose, urgency and timescales.

• Visit the ONS website for more information.

eData Research and Innovation Service (eDRIS), ADR Scotland 

• Access to the physical safe settings at Edinburgh Bioquarter, and to the remote safe settings across Scotland, has temporarily closed. Researchers will not be able to access data at this time. 

• Data controllers are being contacted to ascertain whether they will allow temporary remote access. Should this be possible, the project’s eDRIS Research Coordinator will contact the lead researcher. 

• Work will continue on preparing data for projects, staff resource permitting. However, projects will likely experience delay.

• For more information about accessing this data, please visit ResearchData.Scot.

SAIL Databank, ADR Wales 

• SAIL Databank will be supporting the Government and the NHS during the pandemic. Understandably, this will now take priority over all other workflows and therefore will highly likely impact usual operation.

• The IT support team will endeavour to provide support to live projects wherever possible. Technology is in place to provide a core range of services, and the team aim to keep delays and disruption to a minimum. 

• It is expected that the teams at SAIL may experience higher than usual levels of staff absence from work due to sickness. This may affect their ability to provide some services at a future point. Users will be updated on any changes to service levels as they occur. 

• Visit the SAIL Databank website for more information.

We will continue to provide updates here as and when circumstances change further.