NHS: Databases
(asked on 5th June 2026) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make a statement to the House on the evidential basis and oversight of the Federated Data Platform contract.
Experience from managing demand during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for an NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP) to bring together data from multiple different systems in one secure place to help NHS staff make better decisions about patient care and service planning. This identified need included learning from the Elective Care Coordination for Patients Programme and National Platform programmes.
NHS England did not commission a formal independent evaluation of “pilot sites”, as these early deployments were not structured as a national pilot programme. They acted as proof-of-concept implementations, confirming that a federated data platform model was viable, scalable, and aligned with National Health Service operational needs.
The specification for the contract was developed by an NHS programme team with substantial review by experienced data specialists in the health systems, national security advisors and data privacy experts.
The platform was procured via a rigorous, competitive procurement process in line with government procurement legislation. The procurement route was inclusive and open to all potential suppliers to bid, subject to meeting NHS England’s minimum criteria. Any organisation had the opportunity to respond to the advertised Contract Notice, request and download the procurement documents and submit a tender. The suppliers were required to demonstrate their financial, commercial, security and technical capability to meet contractual requirements. The procurement process also required suppliers to evidence their commitment to sustainability and social value.
The selection was made by multiple assessors against clear criteria. A consortium led by Palantir was awarded the contract in November 2023 based on their ability to meet the specific needs defined by NHS England for the NHS FDP.
Assurance of the overall programme direction and investment case was provided through formal Government Major Projects Portfolio processes, including independent Gateway Reviews conducted by the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority, formerly the Infrastructure and Projects Authority. These reviews consider the strategic case, delivery confidence, commercial approach and readiness to proceed to procurement. The NHS FDP is one of only 14% of Government major programmes to receive a ‘Green’ rating in July 2025, indicating that the FDP is on track. In addition, the NHS FDP and its contract is subject to significant ongoing parliamentary scrutiny.
The NHS FDP is already making a difference for patients and staff across the country. Early users are already seeing real results, including reduced admin, faster patient pathways, and more time for care.
Since March 2024, more than 100,000 additional patients have been supported to undergo procedures in theatres partly by increasing theatre utilisation. Nearly 94,000 people have been supported on their cancer journey, with 7% seeing a reduction in the time it took to diagnose their cancer. There has been a 14% decrease in delays discharging patients staying in hospital for more than seven days, freeing up beds for those who need them most. NHS England publishes quarterly information on benefits realised from the FDP, which is available at the following link:
To date 24 integrated care board (ICB) clusters and 168 NHS trusts have signed up to the NHS FDP, including Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust. As more trusts and ICBs come on board, the platform is proving how smart use of data can transform healthcare.
NHS England proactively manages the NHS FDP contract in line with the NHS England Contract Management Framework which is aligned with the principles of the Government Commercial Function Contract Management Playbook and is subject to NHS England corporate policies and procedures.
NHS England official statistics are produced in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, which is available at the following link:
https://code.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/
This means the statistics are analytically led products under the accountability of the Head of Profession for Statistics. NHS England has policies to ensure Code compliance, which is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/code-compliance/
Production of statistics and other management information or public dashboard releases is currently devolved across a range of analytical teams within NHS England’s Data and Analytics function who each support specific programme areas. A lead analyst is assigned to each statistical publication who is responsible for assuring the quality of the output, highlighting any concerns to the Head of Profession for Statistics.
Current methods used in relation to the benefits being delivered by the NHS FDP is available at the following link:
Two independent evaluations of the use of NHS FDP products in NHS trusts have been published and confirm the benefits that the FDP programme has reported. Imperial College London and Chelsea and Westminster Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have verified that the introduction of the FDP Inpatient theatre module was associated with improved theatre utilisation. The paper is available at the following link:
Imperial College Projects has now been commissioned to conduct an independent evaluation. The evaluation will assess the programme’s impact, effectiveness and value for money and help ensure the programme’s aims are being achieved.