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NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP)

đŸ„ System-wide data · Operational use cases · Governance-first
What is the FDP (in plain English)?

The FDP is a national programme to provide a governed, secure data platform that helps NHS organisations to connect data across settings and support priority operational use cases (for example: waiting lists, capacity & flow, elective recovery). Exact capabilities and onboarding vary by region/Trust — check your local FDP team for details.

When to use FDP vs local options​

Use FDP when you need:

  • Cross-organisation or cross-setting views (acute ⇄ community ⇄ primary care)
  • Operational, near‑real‑time decision support (e.g., theatre scheduling, discharge coordination)
  • Shared governance across multiple controllers/partners

Prefer local stacks when you need:

  • A single‑organisation analytics pipeline (e.g., Trust‑only KPIs)
  • Research prototypes or rapid proof‑of‑concepts where FDP isn’t yet enabled
  • Highly bespoke tooling that sits outside FDP’s supported patterns

Can be complementary: design locally with SQL Server / Python / Dash, then publish a constrained, governed output or onboard the data product to FDP when ready.

Getting access (typical steps)​

  1. Find your FDP contact (ICS/region or Trust data leadership).
  2. Define the use case (problem, users, data needed, outcomes).
  3. Complete governance artefacts (DPIA, data sharing, retention, approvals).
  4. Request a workspace / project in your region’s FDP environment.
  5. Provision identities & roles (least privilege; RBAC groups).
  6. Onboard data products (schemas, lineage, update cadence, owners).
  7. Publish outputs (dashboards/APIs) with suppression rules and audit logs.

The exact process differs by region/provider. Keep your IG lead involved early and often.

Working patterns inside FDP​

  • Build where the data lives: use the FDP-native tools (SQL endpoints, notebooks, dashboards) instead of exporting raw data.
  • Aggregate before export: if external tools are required, export only approved aggregate outputs with suppression rules.
  • Automate refresh: schedule pipelines and validate row counts / expected ranges.
  • Document: owners, purpose, inputs, and quality checks for every data product/output.
  • Observe & audit: enable usage logging; review access regularly.

Example project shapes (non‑PHI sketches)​

1) Elective backlog view​

  • Inputs: RTT pathways, theatre sessions, clinic templates
  • Output: a prioritised, deduplicated waiting list with risk/priority flags
  • Consumers: ops managers, service leads
  • Guardrails: clinician sign‑off for rules; masked exports only

2) Hospital‑to‑home flow board​

  • Inputs: discharge summaries, community capacity feeds
  • Output: predicted discharge date & required services, by ward
  • Consumers: ward managers, discharge coordinators
  • Guardrails: role‑based access; aggregate views for ICS dashboards

3) Vaccination outreach​

  • Inputs: demographics + coverage registers
  • Output: eligible‑not‑up‑to‑date cohort, by PCN/neighbourhood
  • Consumers: PCN teams, outreach services
  • Guardrails: publish counts and lists to approved endpoints only; suppress small numbers

IG & safety checklist​

  • Define purpose & lawful basis before ingesting data.
  • Minimise data: bring only the fields needed for the use case.
  • Apply suppression for small numbers in published outputs.
  • Secrets & credentials: use the FDP’s managed identity/secret store (never hard‑code).
  • Review access regularly; remove stale users/roles.
  • Log usage of dashboards/APIs for accountability.

FAQ​

Is FDP a replacement for our local SQL Server/data platform?
No. Treat it as additional capacity for shared, system‑wide use cases. Many Trust analytics workloads remain local.

Can I bring Python/R notebooks?
Usually yes — via the FDP’s supported tools. Prefer running inside FDP workspaces and avoid exporting row‑level data.

How do I publish a dashboard?
Use the FDP‑provided visualisation option where available, or publish aggregate outputs to an approved endpoint and visualise with a Trust tool (e.g., Power BI) under the agreed governance.

See also​

What’s next?

You’ve completed the Learn — FDP stage. Keep momentum: