About us

History

As one of Europe's oldest general practice (GP) sentinel networks, we have been the primary source for disease surveillance in England since 1957.  In 2019 a collaboration was formed between the University of Oxford, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), and the government’s UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to run the RCGP Research and Surveillance Centre (RSC).

Today

The ORCHID database is hosted by the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford.   We extract and aggregate data from primary care computer systems and other parts of the health system to monitor illnesses in England and Wales. We also conduct virology and serology sampling and deliver novel health research across the UK. Our network includes over 2000 volunteer GP practices.

The ORCHID database is a resource for UK-wide health research. It is a Trusted Research Environment (TRE) with expertly curated themed datasets and is used to undertake health research e.g. observational (cohort) and interventional (trial) studies.