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DARS Appeals

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Grounds for appeal against a Data Access and Partnerships (DA&P) decision

When submitting an appeal please ensure that you have made it explicitly clear on the decision(s) being appealed including as much information as possible with any supporting evidence as this will aid the panel(s) in making informed decisions and reduce any delays. 

There may be occasions where a decision is made by Data Access and Partnerships (DA&P) which a service user (the appellant) wishes to appeal.   

Decisions made include but are not limited to:  

  • rejecting (at any stage) an application for any reason for example not ready, not meeting published standards

  • rejecting an application for data which is not available or where the time/resource or cost requirements are excessive

  • refusing an application that has breached Data Sharing Framework Contract (DSFC) or Data Sharing Agreement (DSA) terms and conditions. This may include late submission, non-payment of fees, data breach or failing to comply with agreed actions or special conditions

  • NHS England setting the priority of an application which results in delays processing the application or delivering data extracts or providing access to data in a Secure Data Environment (SDE) 

  • an instruction to destroy data provided via an agreement 

Flow diagram

Internal processes of how an appeal is considered through the stages and by timelinesInternal processes of how an appeal is considered through the stages and by timelines

What the flow diagram shows

Internal processes of how an appeal is considered through the stages and by timelines.

Stage 1 outline review 

To assess the grounds and scope of the appeal.

Reasons for not agreeing to proceed may include (but are not limited to):

  • grounds not clearly stated
  • out of time (must be submitted within three months of the decision)
  • out of scope (Freedom of Information (FOI), decisions made outside of the DARS processes etc.)
  • information previously provided or available on the website
  • appeal previously reviewed/rejected/not upheld

Stage 2 appeal review

Panel consider the appeal and any evidence that has been submitted and make a decision.

Stage 3 decision confirmation

Where the appeal has not been upheld a secondary review of the decision by a second panel to ensure that all the relevant factors and evidence were considered when coming to a decision.

Appeals template

Complete this form and send it to [email protected]. 

Last edited: 2 July 2025 9:15 am