Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Federated Data Platform on (a) healthcare and (b) the ability of health authorities to identify trends to support the provision of healthcare.

The benefits of the Federated Data Platform have been assessed and tested via several pilot sites taking a similar approach. These have identified the potential, for example, to increase theatre utilisation by an average of 5.63%, meaning on average an additional 120 procedures are performed per month. Waiting list management has allowed to date over 52,000 patients to be flagged for removal from the waiting lists, due to removal of duplicate entries and improving record keeping.

During the response to COVID-19, by bringing data together and using data driven insights to deliver and assess the success of the COIVD-19 vaccine, the National Health Service was able to adapt services, target areas of low uptake and ensure the provision of healthcare was provided to all. It is these benefits and many other similar use cases that underpin the need for a federated data platform to ensure that targeted healthcare provision is optimally planned, resourced, and delivered.