Data assets and how to access

We work with researchers, academics and clinicians to support healthcare and clinical research relevant to healthy ageing

Our data assets

The National Centre for Healthy Ageing (NCHA) Data Platform, a partnership between Monash University and Peninsula Health, brings together curated research ready data drawn from all components of Peninsula Health, the sole public health provider for the Frankston/Mornington Peninsula Region.
Data are drawn from multiple EHR systems from 4 hospitals and >10 community health and outpatient services for >1million people over a 10 year+ period.
The 45 and Up Study is Australia’s largest ongoing longitudinal study focusing on health and ageing. Initiated in 2005, the study has recruited over 267,000 individuals aged 45 and above from New South Wales (NSW) (~10% of the eligible population). Study participants receive a follow up survey approximately every five years collecting comprehensive information on socio-demographics, health, functional status, behaviours, lifestyle and environmental factors. The Study is routinely linked to Medicare and Pharmaceutical data (MBS and PBS) plus a range of other datasets.
The 45 and Up investigators have an institutional agreement with Monash University via the NCHA to allow rapid, cost effective access to this dataset for approved research.

Gaining access

We are in the process of finalising our pricing and access model for our Healthy Ageing Data Platform.

If you’d like to discuss your project requirements and get a quote for services, including information to build into your grant submission, please contact us on nchadataaccess@monash.edu

Simple extraction View

Complex extraction View

AI enabled extraction View

The process for accessing the Healthy Ageing Data Platform

The application and review process for access to deidentified Peninsula Health data from the NCHA Data Platform by Peninsula Health and Monash University researchers is outlined below.

Governance process for simple extractions:

Further information

Research should be conducted responsibly, ethically and with integrity. All research projects using data from the NCHA Data Platform are expected to adhere to the following principles:
- Data from the NCHA Data Platform is to be used for the purposes of improving public health through research to advance knowledge.
- Data from the NCHA Data Platform is to be used for projects that are scientifically, methodologically, and ethically sound.
- The NCHA Data Platform is a collaborative resource. Specific data from the NCHA Data Platform cannot be reserved by researchers for exclusive use.
- Approval to conduct a research project using data from the NCHA Data Platform will be assessed via a transparent process that demonstrates accountability and equity.
- Data release must comply with legislation dealing with privacy, confidentiality, consent, and access to freedom of information.
- In general terms, the NCHA Data Platform is obliged to ensure the data being released is:
  - accurate
  - used only for the purpose for which it has been approved (i.e. as approved by a Human Research Ethics Committee)
  - in accordance with legislative requirements and is done in a way that ensures privacy and protects patient confidentiality.
The five-safes framework is our overarching principle for guiding data governance related to data access and release. The principles of the five-safes ensure oversight with reference to safe:
- people – user trust with regards to the knowledge and data management skills
- projects – appropriate use of the data from a legal, moral and ethical perspective
- systems – authorisation of use controls over data access (e.g., use of secure analysis environments)
- data – potential for identification of individuals within the data
- outputs – ensuring outputs/publications maintain confidentiality.
Person level data released external to Peninsula Health will only be released into Monash SeRP - an e-research environment. Like other e-research environments, SeRP ensures secure data transfer and provides an analysis environment with audit trails via a curated gateway and control over which researchers can access the data. The exception to SeRP is that local Peninsula Health projects will have the option of release of research data to a secure folder within the Peninsula Health network environment in alignment with current practice
For security purposes, all operational activities for the Healthy Ageing Data Platform are undertaken inside the Peninsula Health’s data centre and governed by the Peninsula Health cyber security policies. This approach ensures compliance with data security related to the operations associated with the transmission and storage of data.
To avoid negative impact on operational systems key tables are copied, with weekly incremental updates, into staging areas within the NCHA data warehouse where business rules and cleaning operations are applied to merge the data with the core dataset. Once the warehouse is fully established, audit trails will be automated within the Healthy Ageing Data Platform warehouse to monitor who is accessing the data, movement of data between systems and changes in data use and structure. Audit requirements will be regularly reviewed to ensure that they are responsive to regulatory requirements Data quality and completeness is critical to determining the suitability of items for incorporation into the research data warehouse.
The World Health Organisation’s Data Quality Review (DQR) Framework is being used to guide the assessment of data quality. The DQR dimensions include:
- completeness – i.e., the proportion not containing null or blank values.
- specificity – calculated by excluding unknown, not specified, not stated, or ‘other’.
- timeliness – validated against data recording time.
- internal consistency – measured as consistency between similar variables recorded within different datasets.
- external consistency – validated against published literature and data collection points.
Internal data access is guided by the separation principle whereby identifiable data are kept separate to clinical data and staff only have access to the information needed for them to perform their role. For example, staff involved in managing the data are employed by Peninsula Health, have limited access rights to the data and are not given access to patients’ full records unless required. Person level data are assigned a platform ID within the Research Data Warehouse which can only be linked back to the hospital MRN using a linkage map held within Peninsula Health but external to the warehouse.
DATASET PUBLICATIONS:
- IJPDS, International Journal of Population Data Science (June 2023) – Developing a linked electronic health record derived data platform to support research into healthy ageing
- Sage Journals, Health Information Management Journal (July 2025) –
  National Centre for Healthy Ageing Data Platform: Developing a core set of research data from hospital electronic health record systems: A midified Delphi approach
DICTIONARY:
- National Centre for Healthy Ageing Data Platform: High-level data dictionary (Dec 2025)
  Note: This is a dynamic document – please contact the Data Platform for the most recent version
WEBINARS:
- "Developing a geographic linked data cohort for epidemiological research" – Presented by Professor Nadine Andrew

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

Health data is any personal information about your health, which includes health conditions, medications, treatments, diseases, test results.
When one becomes a patient at Peninsula Health, an electronic health record is made. This contains information such as one’s name, health condition, and results of treatment. New information is added to this heath record each time one visits a Peninsula Health Service.
This information (also known as data) can be used by the health service and researchers to monitor and improve the way healthcare is delivered.
This information is stored in many different areas or electronic systems in the hospital. With the NCHA Data Platform, aspects of this information that have been identified as suitable for use in research and quality improvement will be brought together and stored in one place. This information will be de-identified (i.e. will not contain identifiable information such as names, addresses, telephone numbers, full date of birth). Bringing these data together for individual healthcare users will allow us to have a more complete view of what happens to people as they move through the health service to understand how healthcare and other factors impact on how people age.
An Electronic Health Record or EHR is a computer-based record, collected over time, of a patient’s medical information. It replaces the paper chart and paper notes that were previously collected.
It includes patient details, such as age, disease history, doctor notes, medications, vital signs, past medical history, immunisations, pathology data, and radiology reports. These records are kept by hospitals in many different systems.
Electronic Health Records contain a lot of medical information. When many patient records are combined, this data can be used to answer many types of research questions about a population. The results of these research studies can have many positive community benefits, such as improvements in healthcare practice and developing new ways of caring for people.
If health information is used for research purposes, strict guidelines have to be followed. Information is only made available for research projects that have been approved by a Human Research Ethics Committee, where the researcher must demonstrate the benefits of the research to society.
The information stored in the platform and given to researchers is de-identified i.e., does not contain any personal identifying information. Information about an individual person’s health or healthcare cannot be reported.
The Data Platform follows standards set by the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic). The Act contains 11 Health Privacy Principles which are in place to protect personal information. Information can only be collected, used, stored, disclosed, and disposed of according to these principles.
Ethics review of all research is undertaken by a panel, including consumers, and they ensure that the privacy of research participants is protected and that any risks of the research are outweighed by potential benefits of the research. All research projects must conform to guidelines set by the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research 2008 (National Statement).
Patient information within the Data Platform can only be made available for research projects that have been approved by a HREC.

Connect with us!

Connect with us today to discover how the Healthy Ageing Data Platform can support your research objectives!

Email: nchadataaccess@monash.edu