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NHS: Databases

Asked by Martin WrigleyLiberal DemocratDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 29 June 2026UIN 11278

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Joint Data Policy Unit was informed of routine data access arrangements operating within the National Data Integration Tenant of the NHS Federated Data Platform prior to May 2026.

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:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/digitaltechnology/nhs-federated-data-platform/impact/fdp-uptake-and-benefits/

As at end May 2026, 170 trusts have signed up for the NHS FDP, including the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust.

The Joint Digital Policy Unit of NHS England and the Department was not informed of routine data access arrangements in the National Data Integration Tenant prior to May 2026.

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