NHS Federated Data Platform: Minister and experts questioned on rollout in hospitals
MPs will examine the NHS’s rollout of the Federated Data Platform (FDP), the Palantir-built software which aims to improve efficiency in hospitals by integrating data from multiple systems.
Meeting details
Witnesses in this one-off session include health sector technology experts, the Minister for Health Innovation, Preet Kaur Gill, and senior officials from NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care.
The cross-party Committee is likely to question the security of individual patient data, concerns over supplier lock-in, and governance structures for assessing and monitoring the FDP’s performance.
MPs may also raise concerns about digital sovereignty – the perceived dependence on digital infrastructure controlled by foreign companies – as well as whether other tech products could provide the same benefits for the NHS, and whether the NHS’s workforce and leadership possesses the skills to use it most effectively. Members may also ask if the Government is considering exercising the break clause in the FDP contract in 2027.
The FDP links operational and administrative data from multiple NHS systems, such as referral lists, diagnostic data, bed capacity, theatre scheduling and others. The intention is to support and speed up day-to-day decision making and reduce costs long-term.
The Platform works by accessing multiple data systems simultaneously whilst sitting above them, rather than copying data into a single central repository.
It is used in hospitals and by Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) for acute and secondary care.
The FDP’s rollout began in early 2024 following a pilot in 2022. NHS planning guidance published in October 2025 said all trusts should sign a memorandum of understanding to use the FDP’s “core products” by April 2026.
An NHS England document from October 2025 reported that 81% of the 205 trusts have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to adopt the FDP. However, there are conflicting reports about the extent of its use and its benefits.
The NHS’s contract for the provision of the FDP is held by a consortium, led by Palantir Technologies UK, but which also includes Accenture, PwC, North of England Care System Support, and Carnall Farrar. The contract is valued at £330 million, over a maximum of seven years.