The Five Safes

Access to the TVS TRE is governed by the Five Safes framework — a widely used approach to ensuring that sensitive data is used safely and appropriately for research.

The framework considers five dimensions of safety, each of which must be satisfied before and during any research using sensitive data.

Safe	Definition
Safe people	Researchers are trained, approved, and accountable for how they use the data
Safe projects	Research has a legitimate purpose and has been through the appropriate approval process
Safe data	Data is de-identified or anonymised where possible to reduce the risk of re-identification
Safe settings	Data is only accessed within a secure, controlled environment — the TRE
Safe outputs	Results are checked before leaving the environment to ensure no individual patients can be identified

For a full description of the Five Safes framework, see the UK government guidance on the Five Safes.