Federated Data Platform

Government Transformation and Service Delivery

Record date: 31 March 2026

Whole-life cost: £1.1bn
Published schedule: 01/04/2022 – 31/03/2032
NISTA delivery confidence: Not disclosed
Senior responsible owner: Ming Tang

What the project is for

The NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) is a national initiative aimed at enhancing the use of data across the NHS to support safer, more efficient care. By securely connecting disparate NHS data systems, the FDP facilitates streamlined access and utilisation of information, reducing delays and minimising duplication.

Departmental delivery commentary

Following the Green rating received in Q4 of the financial year 24/25, the NISTA/SRO Delivery Confidence Assessment (DCA) for Q4 of 25/26 has similarly achieved a Green status. The programme’s has successfully attained its targets, benefits realisation is accelerating, with ten products now generally available and regional teams onboarding new sites. Preparations for the reporting tool deployment are progressing ahead of plan, and the development of partner standards is advancing robustly. The programme has made significant strides towards achieving 2025/26 milestones. Enhanced roles, comprehensive oversight, and proactive risk management have elevated governance standards. By April 2026, 129 acute trusts were actively utilising FDP products, with demand continuing to rise.

Schedule

The programme is still progressing as planned and is expected to meet the deadlines established in its business case.

Cost

Compared to financial year 24/25-Q4, the project's departmentally agreed Whole Life Cost at 25/26-Q4 has Increased. This increase reflects the increased delivery at scale, particularly in FYs 2025/26 and 2026/27. For 2025/26 the increased expenditure was financially managed and absorbed within overall budgets. For 2026/27 the accelerated delivery schedule has been accommodated within the overall budget envelope. Despite this increase, the Programme remains within the departmental baseline.

Benefits

Compared to financial year 2024/25 Q4, the programme's departmentally agreed Forecast benefits at 2025/26 Q4 decreased . This is primarily due to ongoing refinements to estimates reflecting updates to the product roadmap and rollout plans, alongside the adoption of a more developed forecasting approach based on improved data, more detailed delivery assumptions, and a stronger understanding of product performance, usage, and adoption. We expect programme lifetime benefits to continue to grow as more products and platform services are developed, rolled out, and adopted, and as their benefits are realised across the system.