Organisational attendees

• National Voices
• Understanding Patient Data
• Royal College of General Practitioners
• NHS England
• Patients Association
• Office of the National Data Guardian
• FDP Programme Team (NHS England)
• Royal College of Surgeons
• Association of Medical Research Charities
• Information Commissioner’s Office
• NHS Confederation

Apologies received

• Department of Health and Social Care
• Nottingham University Hospitals
• British Medical Association
• Academy of Medical Royal Colleges
• East Kent Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Open actions

Meeting minutes

Welcome and introductions

The Chair, Jacob Lant, opened the meeting. Apologies were noted.

No conflicts/declarations of interests raised.

Minutes and actions from previous meeting

The group ratified and approved the minutes of the meeting held on Friday 21 November 2025.

Action log

The Chair noted that all previous actions were complete, with the exception of the DPIA (Data Protection Impact Assessment) for the AI Assisted Discharge Summary (AADS) work. This remains outstanding due to the complexity of the project and resource pressures over the Christmas period, and would be brought back to a future meeting for review.

FDP and PET Programme update

The Director of Data Management and Transformation provided an overview of the FDP and PET Programme, noting that the programme continues at pace, with several products now available as Generally Available (GA) and being utilised by local organisations, with a strong core foundation in place. The focus was now on maximising use of the platform capabilities to support delivery of the core use cases and delivering core ambitions for 2026/27. Also highlighted was continued work on the Solution Exchange (SolEx), including engagement with third party organisations to consider governance and standards to build upon FDP, with a number of upcoming events planned to support product development and deployment.

The Deputy Director of Product for the FDP highlighted an expanding range of nationally available local products for NHS Trusts and ICBs, with a continued focus on tracking and measuring benefits and outcomes. Products were supporting improved understanding of waiting list initiatives and patient engagement, alongside positive feedback on community based solutions.

The group received a roadmap of FDP products, which included several planned enhancements to improve operational efficiency and reduce appointment cancellations, as well as extending discharge related capabilities into additional care settings to support more coordinated patient pathways. All products continue to be developed using data led approaches to support analysis and decision making with an emphasis on transparency, sharing future capabilities, and inviting feedback on emerging features.

A representative from the Royal College of Surgeons raised a question regarding the ability to better prioritise patients on waiting lists, noting limited visibility of patients not currently visible to secondary care systems. The Director of Data Management and Transformation advised that, while there have been early discussions about improving data linkage to enhance insight, the current focus was on strengthening downstream operational processes. Existing products support and increase transparency of current acute trust prioritisation processes, with a longer-term ambition to integrate additional data sources, potentially supported through future developments such as the Single Patient Record.

Attention moved to the planned capabilities within the RTT (Referral to Treatment) Validation Tool. A representative from the British Medical Association (BMA) raised a query about the use of large language models (LLMs), specifically questioning whether GP letters were being “read” by the system to prioritise or influence workflows, and whether this could constitute AI making clinical decisions. The Deputy Director of
Product clarified that the system does not use AI or LLMs to interpret letter content or make decisions; it only identifies the presence of certain terms or documents to prompt human review, with the team continuing to work closely with the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency). A representative from the National Data Guardians emphasised the importance of precise language, noting that terms such as “reading” or “understanding” imply human interpretation, and agreed that communications should instead describe AI as “identifying” information.

The Chair proposed that, where it would be helpful for the group to provide input on language and potential communications messages, relevant slides could be circulated in advance to enable detailed feedback.

Action: Revisit inviting a representative from the MHRA to attend future meetings to address medical device categorisation queries.

The group received and noted the update.

Communications and engagement update

The FDP Lead Senior Communications and Engagement Manager updated members on recent activity, including the development of product specific materials and patient facing content to support adoption across different care settings. Support was being provided to local partners on briefing materials for product ongoing pilots. Plans were in place to publish regular uptake and benefits information, alongside wider communications activity, with work ongoing to develop a public facing view of benefits. Case study materials were being prepared to showcase implementation and impact, with further content planned. Future engagement activity was also being explored, including new channels to support awareness and understanding of the programme, with patient engagement remaining a key priority.

A representative from the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) queried the intended audience for the proposed FDP podcast series and the approach to speaker selection. It was clarified that the podcast would be publicly available and aimed at a broad audience, with individual episodes targeted at specific professional groups as appropriate. It was noted that promotion would be tailored by episode, and that there is an intention to include external speakers to support open and transparent discussions.

The Chair agreed that the podcast format would enable more open and in-depth discussion, including challenging topics, and noted the importance of considering whether it should be hosted internally or by an independent presenter as a reflection of transparency.

A representative from the Patients Association asked for further detail on patient engagement activity and offered support in reconnecting with patients involved in earlier focus groups. The FDP Lead Senior Communications and Engagement Manager confirmed that existing patient facing materials remained in use and available publicly, and that further collaboration with patient groups would be welcomed. Plans were outlined to strengthen transparency and public facing information on the use of data, alongside potential targeted outreach activity with patient organisations.

The group received and noted the update.

Single Patient Record (SPR) update

The Strategy Lead for the SPR and Assistant Director of Programmes joined the meeting.

An update was provided on the Single Patient Record (SPR) programme, which was in a pre-launch phase progressing business case approvals within a wider Transformation portfolio. User research and early technical appraisal were underway to shape priority use cases, focusing on interoperability and building on existing systems through an iterative approach rather than a single national rollout. Initial areas of focus include maternity and neighbourhood-based care, aligned to existing national priorities. The programme was working closely with other national initiatives to ensure alignment and clarity, whilst addressing key considerations around data, interoperability, information governance, and privacy. Further engagement and local testing were planned ahead of potential programme mobilisation, subject to approval.

The group discussed key considerations for the SPR, including challenges around data alignment across organisations, privacy, and public understanding. Questions were raised about interoperability and the use of canonical data models, with reassurance provided that work is ongoing with technical teams to address these issues.

Members emphasised the need for strong privacy safeguards, including audit and appropriate controls, particularly for neighbourhood health use cases. The SPR Leads clarified that the initial neighbourhood health focus was on frailty, aligned with wider ambitions for care closer to home. The importance of transparency around data access by different organisations was also highlighted, alongside the need for clear, joined up alignment with other national programmes to avoid confusion and support effective communication.

The Chair reiterated the need for close alignment between technology and policy for SPR and related programmes, noting that where either is unclear or misaligned, communications alone cannot mitigate the risk, particularly in the context of increased public scrutiny and forthcoming health legislation.

The group received and noted the update.

Single Patient Record (SPR) update

The Strategy Lead for the SPR and Assistant Director of Programmes joined the meeting.

An update was provided on the Single Patient Record (SPR) programme, which was in a pre-launch phase progressing business case approvals within a wider Transformation portfolio. User research and early technical appraisal were underway to shape priority use cases, focusing on interoperability and building on existing systems through an iterative approach rather than a single national rollout. Initial areas of focus include maternity and neighbourhood-based care, aligned to existing national priorities. The programme was working closely with other national initiatives to ensure alignment and clarity, whilst addressing key considerations around data, interoperability, information governance, and privacy. Further engagement and local testing were planned ahead of potential programme mobilisation, subject to approval.

The group discussed key considerations for the SPR, including challenges around data alignment across organisations, privacy, and public understanding. Questions were raised about interoperability and the use of canonical data models, with reassurance provided that work is ongoing with technical teams to address these issues.

Members emphasised the need for strong privacy safeguards, including audit and appropriate controls, particularly for neighbourhood health use cases. The SPR Leads clarified that the initial neighbourhood health focus was on frailty, aligned with wider ambitions for care closer to home. The importance of transparency around data access by different organisations was also highlighted, alongside the need for clear, joined up alignment with other national programmes to avoid confusion and support effective communication.

The Chair reiterated the need for close alignment between technology and policy for SPR and related programmes, noting that where either is unclear or misaligned, communications alone cannot mitigate the risk, particularly in the context of increased public scrutiny and forthcoming health legislation.

The group received and noted the update.

Any other business and close

A representative from the BMA queried expected timelines for the AI and AADS updates. In response, the Director of Data Management and Transformation advised that more specific timings would be confirmed, with the intention to bring this to the next meeting, noting it may move into later months if required.

The Chair advised the group that the next Data Transformation Check and Challenge meeting will be held on Friday 20 February 2026.