GROVE: Governance for Household-Level Environment and Health Data

Where people live has a significant influence on health outcomes, but linking household-level health, housing, and environmental data raises complex governance and acceptability challenges. These datasets are often held across sectors with different legal and ethical constraints, limiting their use for research and policy.

GROVE will develop secure technical pipelines and governance frameworks to support responsible household-level data linkage. It will focus on understanding and mitigating privacy risks while enabling meaningful analysis for population health evaluation and prevention.This project  will embed these pipelines into DataSHIELD, which is an established federated analytics tool with built-in automatic statistical disclosure control, used internationally. Building on the work in the FOCUS-5 DARE UK Early Adopter Project, we will align with the use of RO-Crates to describe analyses.

By embedding public perspectives into governance design, the project aims to demonstrate how household-level data can be used ethically and effectively, generating evidence to reduce health inequalities. Outputs will support NHS organisations, data controllers, and policymakers in adopting socially acceptable and proportionate approaches.

Public involvement and engagement are central to delivery. Through co-designed workshops and consultations—including engagement with young people and underserved groups—the project will explore perceptions of risk and benefit. Outputs include public-facing materials and practical guidance shaped by lived experience.

By the end of the project, GROVE will:

• Deliver governance frameworks for household-level data linkage
• Produce guidance for NHS organisations and data controllers
• Create public-facing materials co-designed with communities
• Implement new federated geospatial algorithms in DataSHIELD

Project information

Lead organisation: University of Liverpool
Principal investigator: Professor Sarah Rodgers
Project duration: 12 months
Project partners: University College London and NHS partners across England
Funding provided: £315,859
Primary contact email: hipr@liverpool.ac.uk