Use cases

A national NHS England instance replaces multiple legacy systems and provides accurate, near-real-time data for strategic and operational planning. 

In addition to this every hospital trust and integrated care board (ICB) will have their own separate instance of the software which comes with a set of core capabilities and nationally commissioned, locally developed products which enable them to make better use of data to inform decision making.   

Currently the NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP) supports five key priority areas: 

Elective recovery

  • The NHS FDP is helping to get patients treated as quickly as possible, reducing the backlog of people waiting for appointments or treatments, including maximising capacity, supporting patient readiness and using innovation to streamline care.  
  • Local teams are better able to prioritise waiting lists, manage theatre capacity and identify staffing needs. It is helping local teams make more effective use of their resources such as theatres, ensuring that all available slots are used to treat patients and reduce the elective backlog.
  • It provides more choice and speeds up appointment booking. For example, if a theatre slot becomes available at a nearby hospital, patients with the greatest need can be offered an appointment earlier.
“If you need an operation, currently, the staff responsible for scheduling operations for patients need to log into multiple systems to see who should be booked in, who is on shift to perform operations and where there are available theatre slots in the hospital. Bringing this information together makes it easier and quicker to book you in for an operation.The NHS Federated Data Platform increases the visibility into one place so those scheduling appointments can easily see where theatre slots that weren’t previously being used are available. I feel better knowing that theatre slots aren’t going to waste and that I will receive my treatment as quickly as possible

The team at my hospital will also be able to give me more notice for when my appointment is so I can plan this around my life. If an appointment became available at a nearby hospital sooner, I could be offered this as an alternative and receive my treatment earlier.”

Care coordination (joining up care)

  • Health and care organisations have access to the information they need to support the patient, enabling care to be coordinated across NHS services 
  • A joined-up approach means a better connection between organisations who need to work together to provide a good service for patients. Those in charge of a person’s care will be able to see what that person’s requirements and care needs are, reducing time spent in hospital when a patient is medically well enough to leave. Doctors, nurses, carers and other health professionals will still be the people who decide what care is needed, but the platform helps them make better, more informed decisions.  

“Previously I haven’t been discharged from hospital even though I was well enough to leave. Hospital staff spent a lot of time calling different care homes to see if there was a spare bed.

“During my most recent stay, staff used the NHS Federated Data Platform, and the improvement was evident. The team looking after me were able to see where there were available beds in a care home within my local community and spaces on virtual wards.

“My doctor and I decided together where I was discharged, and I wasn’t stuck in hospital for longer than I needed to be.”

Vaccination and immunisation

  • The NHS Federated Data Platform ensures there is fair and equal access and uptake of vaccinations across different communities.  
  • The COVID-19 vaccination programme – one of the largest programmes in NHS history – was delivered using a data platform which is now used to manage the vaccine supply and ensure there is adequate stock booked in at each vaccination site. It can track the number of vaccines administered across England by geography, gender, ethnicity, disability, and deprivation.  
  • The way we deliver vaccinations and immunisations has improved, not just for COVID-19 but also for flu and other diseases.  

“As a Muslim, I was concerned that the COVID-19 vaccine would invalidate my fast-during Ramadan, as were many of my friends and family. By using the COVID-19 data platform, my local NHS team noticed that there was low uptake of vaccines within the Muslim community which put my community at higher risk of severe illness. The NHS worked with my local mosque to run a pop-up clinic to encourage uptake of the vaccine amongst our community.

“The NHS Federated Data Platform helps the NHS in England to better understand trends in vaccine uptake and how services are delivered, to make it easier for communities to take up vaccines they are eligible for. For example, this could be making services available at times and locations that better suit their lifestyle.”

Population health management (planning NHS services)

The NHS Federated Data Platform will help local Trusts, Integrated Care Boards (on behalf of the integrated care systems) and NHS England proactively plan services that meet the needs of their population. For example, how many people could be affected by an illness like diabetes or asthma and what help might support those people; even before any illness develops.  

Supply chain management (getting the best value for the NHS)

  • The NHS Federated Data Platform helps the NHS put resources where they are needed most and buy smarter so that we get the best value for money. 
  • It makes it easier to see where critical supplies (such as protective masks, medication and equipment) are, how much is available, and where there are shortages. This means that items can be moved between hospitals or allocated to areas that need them the most. The NHS can track how much needs to be purchased overall and buy in bulk, which will save everyone time and money.  

“Many hospitals don’t have a system to manage records of supplies. This means that if one department runs out of something, they order more without knowing if another department has more.

“When I was in hospital, my ward ran out of bed pans, and there was a delay whilst they had to order more. They later found out that a ward on another floor had plenty spare. The NHS Federated Data Platform ensures that this situation happens less often and helps hospitals in my local region share supplies with each other too.”