Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which pilots of the Federated Data Platform were (a) not successful (b) suspended and (c) withdrawn; and if he will list the reasons for each withdrawal.
Answered by Will Quince
No pilots have been assessed as unsuccessful, been suspended or withdrawn.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Palantir has failed to meet in (a) part and (b) full the terms of any of its contracts with his Department since January 2020
Answered by Will Quince
The contract in place between NHS England and Palantir for provision of Foundry Services and the data management platform since 12 December 2020 has provided NHS England with the core capabilities as set out within the contract, including a core platform usage licence, Data Integration and Analytics Capabilities, Supply Management Capability, Immunisation and Vaccination Management Capability, Workforce Analytics Capability, Integrated Planning Tool and Adult Social Care Dashboard.
Throughout the delivery and provision of these capabilities, NHS England can confirm that Palantir has met its obligations as set out within the terms. Throughout the life of the contract, NHS England have not had cause to utilise a Performance Improvement Plan or manage underperformance of the contract.
Palantir are managed via NHS England Contract Management Framework to ensure that performance is monitored and measured, the National Health Service receives value for money, stakeholder expectations are managed, robust governance is in place, risks are actively managed and mitigated, delivery is ensured and the end user outcomes are maximised.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the role of walk-in centres in preventative healthcare.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
No specific assessment has been made. Although there is variation in nomenclature and services provided, Walk-in Centres are typically Type three accident and emergency services (similar to Urgent Treatment Centres, Minor Injury Units, or Urgent Care Centres). A defining characteristic of a service qualifying as a Type three department is that it treats at least minor injuries and illnesses and such services can involve elements of preventative advice relevant to a condition with which someone presents.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Government will introduce provisions to ensure that meaningful and informed consent is sought from each patient before any of their health or social care data is transferred onto the Federated Data Platform.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Data on the Federated Data Platform (FDP) will be transferred from existing data sets, which have a lawful basis for collection and processing. Therefore, seeking the consent of individuals for the transfer of these datasets will not be required. NHS England is committed to transparency on the way data is used within the FDP to ensure that patients are informed of the choice to opt out, where applicable and how to do so. It is also committed to publishing information on who is accessing data and for what purpose.
Data protection law and the common law duty of confidentiality will continue to apply. There must always be a valid lawful basis for the collection and processing of personal information, with transparency about the use of data within federated data platforms, as defined under the applicable legislation. The FDP will be used as separate instances to provide access to data for both the primary use of data, such as direct patient care and the secondary use of data, such as its use in analysis and planning. This will be based on specific use cases which set out the data specification and data classification and access controls which will be used. Where confidential patient information is being used to support direct care within the FDP, explicit consent would not be required as this data has implied consent for use.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the information published in the Prior Information Notice for the NHS Federated Data Platform is accurate.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
The published Prior Information Notice is accurate and is available at the following link:
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/009960-2022
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England plans to conduct a public consultation on the (a) nature and (b) remit of the Federated Data Platform before the invitation to tender for the platform is published.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
NHS England has no plans to do so.
However, ‘Data saves lives: reshaping health and social care with data,’ published in June 2022, commits to improve trust in the health and care system’s use of data. This includes engagement with the public and stakeholders on data programmes and projects, such as research and development, General Practice Data for Planning and Research and the Federated Data Platform.
We plan to engage through methods including surveys, large-scale public engagement and focus groups, which will inform a public campaign in early 2023 on how the National Health Service uses data to improve the lives of patients. A specific theme of the engagement programme will focus on Secure Data Environments, including the Federated Data Platform.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the value of the Federated Data Platform contract was as of 7 July 2022; and how that figure compares with the value in the Prior Information Notice.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
The proposed contract value for the Federated Data Platform is £360 million over five years, with an option to extend over two years. The initial Privacy Information Notice (PIN) referred to the intention to procure a three year contract, originally estimated at £240 million. However, a subsequent decision was made to procure a longer-term contract to allow for an improved return on investment, which increased its value. An opportunity notice will be issued following the launch of the competition, which will state the revised contract values.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with NHS England on when the Invitation to Tender for the Federated Data Platform will be published.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
There have been no specific discussions. The contract notice will be available from the anticipated publication date in September 2022. This will initiate a 30-day period for interested suppliers to respond to a pre-selection questionnaire and express interest in the procurement. At the end of this period, an invitation to competitive dialogue will be issued.