NHS: Databases
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the reasons why the National Data Guardian was not informed that external contractor staff at Palantir would have access to identifiable patient information within the NHS Federated Data Platform’s National Data IntegrationTenant environment; and what discussions his Department will have with the National Data Guardian on this matter.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP) safely connects information from different systems across the National Health Service into a single, secure environment. This allows staff to co-ordinate care better to improve outcomes for patients.
The NHS FDP is delivering for the NHS, helping people get the care they need quicker and more efficiently. 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:
As of the end of May 2026, 170 trusts have signed up for the NHS FDP, including the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust.
The National Data Guardian (NDG) highlighted that the published Data Protection Impact Assessment for the National Data Integration Tenant (NDIT) was not fully reflective of current access arrangements, including limited administrative access by supplier staff. NHS England seeks to be transparent about how data is used within the NHS FDP and works collaboratively with the NDG, the Information Commissioner’s Office, and other partners to provide assurance and incorporate feedback.
Whilst there is no statutory requirement for NHS England to notify the NDG of specific access arrangements to the NDIT, NHS England engages regularly with the NDG through established governance routes as part of routine oversight of the NHS FDP Programme. This matter was discussed at the Data Transformation Check and Challenge Group, and the NDG subsequently wrote to NHS England and has received an update in response, which has been published at the following link:
An updated Privacy Notice has also been published and can be found at the following link:
NHS England acts as the data controller for the NHS FDP at the national level, including NDIT. NHS organisations using the platform act as data controllers for their own data and use of the system. Access to data is strictly controlled, and any access by external contractors is limited, role-based and time-bound, requires appropriate security clearance and senior approval, and is fully logged and auditable. Data remains under the control of NHS organisations, and suppliers act only under the instruction of those organisations.
NHS England and the Department will continue to engage with the NDG through established governance routes on this matter.
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