Written questions by Byrne.

What metrics are being used to measure the success of the Palantir-powered Federated Data Platform (FDP); and whether any productivity gains or improvements to patient care have been attributed to the FDP thus far, as opposed to any other intervention.

During product development, the NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP) team identified relevant usage and benefits measures for each specific product. These measures are related to the problem statement the product was designed to address and are co-developed with users.Once a product has completed development and testing and becomes generally available, data on the usage and benefits measures at an aggregate level, across all organisations nationally, are published on the NHS FDP website. Over time, further products will become generally available on the NHS FDP, supporting the National Health Service areas of elective care, urgent and emergency care, cancer and diagnostics, operational management, and population health and neighbourhood care.Information on the benefits derived from the NHS FDP is published each quarter by NHS England and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/digitaltechnology/nhs-federated-data-platform/impact/fdp-uptake-and-benefits/In addition to the quantitative benefits, information from organisations on the benefits they are seeing from the NHS FDP from a qualitative perspective is collected in the form of case studies available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/digitaltechnology/nhs-federated-data-platform/impact/case-studies/

What role Senior Information Risk Owners and Caldicott Guardians play in overseeing data governance for the Federated Data Platform (FDP) within Integrated Care Boards and NHS trusts; and whether those roles are held by executive board members.

Every integrated care board and National Health Service trust board, who are data controllers for data held within their own individual instance of the NHS Federated Data Platform, has responsibility for data governance and managing risk.Integrated care boards in the NHS are mandated to appoint both a senior information risk officer and a Caldicott Guardian. These roles are essential for ensuring compliance with patient data confidentiality, information governance, and the secure handling of information within the organisation.Information on whether or not Caldicott Guardians are Executive Board members is not held centrally.

Whether his Department carried out an equalities impact assessment of the Federated Data Platform (FDP) (a) prior to its rollout and (b) at any point since.

The NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP) is a data platform rather than a clinical service in itself. NHS England does not require an Equality and Health Inequalities Impact Assessment (EHIA) by default for data platforms. As such, a determination was made in line with NHS England guidance that the NHS FDP did not meet the requirements for an EHIA.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of Palantir’s role supporting Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the US on the confidence of NHS patients to divulge medical information.

The NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP) holds no information on the immigration or residency status of patients. NHS England has published extensive information on the NHS FDP, its contractual safeguards, and how it is designed solely for medical purposes. There is a web portal where people can find out more information about the NHS FDP and ask questions.

What assessment his Department has made of concerns raised by the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee regarding the outsourcing of NHS data infrastructure to a single overseas technology provider; and what steps have been taken to mitigate systemic data security risks arising from that arrangement.

Data infrastructure in the National Health Service is not outsourced to a single provider, as the NHS makes use of a variety of technology providers, including hyper-scalers. Contracts include specific provisions to ensure the security of personal data.

To give a detailed description of how procurement of the contract for the Federated Data Platform (FDP), after the current contract ending date of 15/02/2027, will proceed, including timeline, whether the incumbent contract holder Palantir is considered to be a preferred bidder, whether the NHS has a break clause in this contract with Palantir, whether the NHS is able to renew the contract automatically without hearing any competing bids, and any other relevant information relating to the terms of the contract.

The current contract for the NHS Federated Data Platform is for seven years, ending in 2030, with break clauses at three years, two years, and one year. No decisions have been made about any procurement after then end of the contract. The contact is published at the following link: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/2e8c61c0-faab-4f99-ae69-b00df6bae165?origin=SearchResults&p=1

Whether a standardised definition of an information governance breach applies across all NHS trusts and Integrated Care Boards in relation to the Federated Data Platform (FDP); what criteria are used to classify breaches as serious or major; and who is responsible for determining that classification.

The Information Governance Framework for the NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP) is published at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/federated-data-platform-information-governance-framework/Data breaches are determined in line with the guidance from the Information Commissioner’s Office. In the event of an actual or suspected security breach or data loss incident (incident) in any instance of the NHS FDP or NHS Privacy Enhancing Technology (NHS-PET), any party who becomes aware of the incident will notify NHS England.In the case of the platform contractor, such a notification will be made in accordance with its obligations under clause 20, which is regarding authority data and security requirements, clause 23, regarding protection of personal data, and/or Schedule 2.4, regarding security management, of the agreement, as well as clause 6 of the FDP Data Processing Agreement. In addition, in the case of the NHS-PET Contractor, such a notification will be made in accordance with its obligations under clause 17, regarding protection of personal data, Schedule 3, regarding cyber security and information governance, of the Contract, and/or clause 6 of the NHS-PET Data Processing Agreement.The NHS FDP contractor will notify NHS England of all incidents. The NHS FDP Contractor and user organisations will co-operate with NHS England’s service bridge, cyber, security, data protection, and incident management teams in the investigation, management, mitigation, rectification, restoration, and resolution of the incident in accordance with the NHS FDP Incident Management Protocol.The relevant controller will report any personal data breach to the Information Commissioner’s Office in line with its responsibilities under UK General Data Protection Regulation.NHS England and the NHS FDP contractors will co-operate with the local NHS FDP user organisation’s cyber, security, data protection, and incident management teams in the investigation, management, mitigation, rectification, restoration, and resolution of the incident in accordance with the NHS FDP Incident Management Protocol.Brief details of all personal data breaches, including their root cause, will be reported by NHS England, the NHS FDP contractor, or the local NHS FDP user organisation, depending on who the controller and processor is in relation to the personal data breach, to the Data Governance Group. Each party will co-operate with the other impacted parties in the production of the reports.

What assurance mechanisms are in place to safeguard patient-identifiable data within the Federated Data Platform (FDP) operating across NHS trusts and the Integrated Care Board in Cheshire and Merseyside; and what independent audit or verification processes are undertaken to ensure compliance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

The NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP) is built with robust security and privacy controls to ensure that access to National Health Service data is tightly governed and independently auditable.The NHS FDP Information Governance Framework clearly lays out the roles and responsibilities relating to breach notification and management, defining organisations’ responsibilities in this area.All user activity within the NHS FDP environment is logged for auditing purposes. These logs are monitored by both the suppliers platform team and the NHS Cyber Security Operations Centre to detect and respond to any malicious activity.The NHS FDP contract includes audit provisions that allow NHS England to validate and confirm that contractual requirements are being met. These rights of audit are standard within NHS commercial agreements and provide assurance that the platform operates in accordance with NHS England’s expectations and legal obligations, including compliance with UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.

What statutory and contractual reporting requirements apply where an information governance breach relating to the Federated Data Platform (FDP) occurs; what oversight arrangements ensure compliance with the 72-hour reporting requirement to the Information Commissioner’s Office; and what action is taken if that requirement is not met.

The Information Governance Framework for the NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP) is published at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/federated-data-platform-information-governance-framework/Data breaches are determined in line with the guidance from the Information Commissioner’s Office. In the event of an actual or suspected security breach or data loss incident (incident) in any instance of the NHS FDP or NHS Privacy Enhancing Technology (NHS-PET), any party who becomes aware of the incident will notify NHS England.In the case of the platform contractor, such a notification will be made in accordance with its obligations under clause 20, which is regarding authority data and security requirements, clause 23, regarding protection of personal data, and/or Schedule 2.4, regarding security management, of the agreement, as well as clause 6 of the FDP Data Processing Agreement. In addition, in the case of the NHS-PET Contractor, such a notification will be made in accordance with its obligations under clause 17, regarding protection of personal data, Schedule 3, regarding cyber security and information governance, of the Contract, and/or clause 6 of the NHS-PET Data Processing Agreement.The NHS FDP contractor will notify NHS England of all incidents. The NHS FDP Contractor and user organisations will co-operate with NHS England’s service bridge, cyber, security, data protection, and incident management teams in the investigation, management, mitigation, rectification, restoration, and resolution of the incident in accordance with the NHS FDP Incident Management Protocol.The relevant controller will report any personal data breach to the Information Commissioner’s Office in line with its responsibilities under UK General Data Protection Regulation.NHS England and the NHS FDP contractors will co-operate with the local NHS FDP user organisation’s cyber, security, data protection, and incident management teams in the investigation, management, mitigation, rectification, restoration, and resolution of the incident in accordance with the NHS FDP Incident Management Protocol.Brief details of all personal data breaches, including their root cause, will be reported by NHS England, the NHS FDP contractor, or the local NHS FDP user organisation, depending on who the controller and processor is in relation to the personal data breach, to the Data Governance Group. Each party will co-operate with the other impacted parties in the production of the reports.

What contractual safeguards and sanctions are contained within the Federated Data Platform (FDP) agreement to address any breach of data protection obligations by the contracted technology provider or any subcontractor; and what mechanisms exist for independent external scrutiny of compliance.

The NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP) is built with robust security and privacy controls to ensure that access to National Health Service data is tightly governed and independently auditable.The NHS FDP Information Governance Framework clearly lays out the roles and responsibilities relating to breach notification and management, defining organisations’ responsibilities in this area.All user activity within the NHS FDP environment is logged for auditing purposes. These logs are monitored by both the suppliers platform team and the NHS Cyber Security Operations Centre to detect and respond to any malicious activity.The NHS FDP contract includes audit provisions that allow NHS England to validate and confirm that contractual requirements are being met. These rights of audit are standard within NHS commercial agreements and provide assurance that the platform operates in accordance with NHS England’s expectations and legal obligations, including compliance with UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.

What indicators his department uses to assess the impact of access to adequate, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food on health outcomes; and whether he plans to publish a consolidated framework for measuring the role of nutrition in preventing diet-related illness.

The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) assess the level of food insecurity in the population. The FSA refers to the 1996 World Food Summit definition that “Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life”.The relationship between food insecurity, nutritional intake, and health in the UK is currently unclear. However, international evidence suggests that in the long-term, food insecurity may be associated with poorer diets and poorer health, including higher risk of overweight and obesity.The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) provides independent scientific advice and risk assessments on nutrition and related health issues. The SACN’s remit includes matters concerning nutrient content of individual foods, advice on diet, and the nutritional status of the UK population. The SACN undertakes robust risk assessments and provides dietary recommendations.The Government’s food strategy for England aims to achieve more affordable, accessible and healthier food for everyone, particularly for those on low incomes. We will set out more detail as the work progresses.

Whether the forthcoming National Cancer Plan for England will include (a) targets to improve the early diagnosis of (i) myeloma and (ii) other blood cancers, and steps to (b) reduce the number of GP visits prior to diagnosis and (c) the proportion of patients diagnosed via emergency departments.

Early diagnosis is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan. It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancers, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes.To tackle the late diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.We will get the NHS diagnosing blood cancers earlier and treating them faster, and we will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment, including for magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and driving up this country’s cancer survival rates.  The Plan will be published in early 2026.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that all bereaved parents who need specialist psychological support following (a) pregnancy and (b) baby loss can access it (i) at any time and (ii) free of charge through the NHS.

Experiencing pregnancy or baby loss can be extremely difficult and traumatic. We are determined to make sure all bereaved parents, regardless of where they live, have access to specialist psychological support, free of charge through the National Health Service.Following the loss of a baby, all parents should receive timely, equitable, and culturally competent care. To support this, NHS England has provided funding to all integrated care boards to establish seven-day-a-week bereavement services across maternity settings in England, so that support is always available when families need it most. Currently, 38 out of 42 integrated care boards offer a seven day a week bereavement service, with coverage in 115 out of 120 trusts.Every trust in England has signed up to the National Bereavement Care Pathway. This pathway is designed to improve the quality and consistency of bereavement care for parents and families experiencing pregnancy or baby loss. NHS England is working closely with Sands to agree what steps are necessary to support faster and more consistent implementation of the pathway so that all parents, no matter where they are, receive the support they need at such a difficult time.As of July 2025, maternal mental health services are now available in all areas of England. These services provide specialist psychological support for women with moderate/severe or complex mental health difficulties arising from birth trauma or baby loss. More mothers than ever before, including those sadly affected by the loss of their baby or child, were able to access maternal mental health services or specialist community perinatal mental health services in the year to April 2025.Fathers and partners can receive evidence-based assessments and support through specialist perinatal mental health services, and some NHS trusts also work with Home Start UK’s Dad Matters project to support paternal mental health. Where mothers and partners may have a need for mental health support, but it is not a moderate or severe mental health condition, it is important they can be signposted to other forms of support through their general practitioner and NHS Talking Therapies.

What recent estimate he has made of the (a) the number and (b) the percentage of people over 60 presenting at A&E who waited over 12 hours to be (a) transferred, (b) admitted or (c) discharged in the last 12 months.

NHS England publishes data on the number of accident and emergency attendances and admissions by age. Data is also published on 12-hour accident and emergency attendances, although this is not available by age.

What estimate he has made of how many and what proportion of patients aged over 75 presenting at A&E in England were screened for delirium in the last 12 months.

The information requested is not available centrally.

What estimate he has made of how many and what proportion of patients aged over 75 presenting at A&E in England were screened for general frailty in the last 12 months.

The information requested is not available centrally.

What estimate he has made of how many and what proportion of patients aged over 75 presenting at A&E in England were screened to assess their risk of falling in the last 12 months.

The information requested is not available centrally.

What steps his Department is taking to improve diabetes (a) prevention, (b) care and (c) treatment.

Preventing diabetes is a complex task, and requires multi-faceted action. Prevention involves collaboration in order to tackle the underlying issues such obesity, poor diets, and lifestyle issues. We have several programmes in place to help reduce the prevalence of type 2 diabetes, such as the NHS Health Check, England’s flagship cardiovascular disease programme for those aged 40 to 74 years old, which aims to identify people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes as well as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and some cases of dementia, in order to signpost them to behavioural support such as weight management and clinical treatment if needed.Furthermore, those identified of being at risk of developing type 2 diabetes can be referred to the Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, a nine-month programme that supports people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes to reduce their risk through changing their behavior. The programme is highly effective, cutting the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 37% for people completing the programme, compared to those who do not attend.For those young adults, those aged 18 years old and over, who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and who are overweight or obese, the NHS Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission Programme is also available. The programme supports individuals to lose weight, improve their blood sugar levels, reduce diabetes-related medication, and put their diabetes into remission. 32% of patients who completed this programme had put their type 2 diabetes into remission following participation. Further information on the programme is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/diabetes/treatment-care/diabetes-remission/ For patients with established diabetes, NHS England achieved their long-term plan objective that 20% of all type 1 diabetes patients are in receipt of flash glucose monitoring as of April 2021. Progress continues to be made for patients with type 1 diabetes, with over 65% of people currently using flash glucose monitoring to help manage their condition. NHS England can confirm that over 200,000 eligible people living with diabetes benefit from real-time continuous glucose monitoring. Furthermore, following the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) recommendations on access to hybrid closed loop (HCL) technology last year, NICE and NHS England agreed on a phased implementation period for HCL over five-years, with roll-out commencing in April 2024.All adults with diabetes are recommended, as prescribed by NICE, to enroll in the eight annual health checks, which include: blood sugars (HbA1c); blood pressure; cholesterol; foot examination; kidney function; urinary albumin; body mass index; and smoking. Adherence to these checks have been associated with reduced emergency admissions, amputations, retinopathy, and mortality. The proportion of people with type 1 diabetes who are receiving all eight care processes had recovered back to 43.3% in 2023/24 and 62.3% for type 2 diabetes, compared to 27% and 37%, respectively, in 2020/21.

What estimate he has made of the number of NHS Ophthalmology departments that do not have enough consultants to provide a full service for patients needing treatment for (a) glaucoma and (b) wet macular degeneration.

The Department does not hold information on shortages of ophthalmology consultants. Appropriate levels of staffing will be decided by local system workforce planning.NHS England publishes quarterly National Health Service hospital trust vacancy and job advert data. The publication sets out vacancy rates for total NHS staff and, separately, for registered nurses and doctors at a national and regional level. The latest data for December 2024 shows the vacancy rate for doctors was 5.2%. The data is not detailed enough to identify vacancy rates for ophthalmology consultants.

What estimate he has made of the number of NHS Ophthalmology departments that do not have enough consultants to provide a full service.

The Department does not hold information on shortages of ophthalmology consultants. Appropriate levels of staffing will be decided by local system workforce planning.NHS England publishes quarterly National Health Service hospital trust vacancy and job advert data. The publication sets out vacancy rates for total NHS staff and, separately, for registered nurses and doctors at a national and regional level. The latest data for December 2024 shows the vacancy rate for doctors was 5.2%. The data is not detailed enough to identify vacancy rates for ophthalmology consultants.