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1. Purpose

The Federated Data Platform (FDP) Check and Challenge Group is an independent stakeholder advisory group which provides strategic advice for NHS England’s Federated Data Platform on communications, engagement, and transparency.

It considers patient, public, professional, and ethical context and compliments the Patient and Public Communications Advisory Panel, which provides a patient voice on communications and engagement materials.

2. Background

Better use of data brings big benefits for patients, ensuring more joined up care, greater choice, improved health outcomes and ultimately helps saves lives.

Since the NHS was founded in 1948, data has helped us to learn and evolve, making us one of the leading healthcare systems in the world.

To continue to meet the needs of patients, tackle current and future challenges, and to remain a world leader in healthcare, we must continue to adapt.

The NHS Long Term Plan was published on 7 January 2019, setting out ambitions for improvement over the next decade. The plan identifies that people, data and technology are crucial to the ongoing evolution of our NHS. The plan recognises the importance of technology in the future NHS; setting out the critical priorities that will support digital transformation and provide a step change in the way the NHS cares for citizens.

The introduction of a federated data platform for the NHS is a key aspect to help realise these ambitions.

On 21 November 2023, NHS England awarded a contract for a federated data platform and associated services.

2.1 Implementation timeline

January to March 2024

Following FDP-AS contract award, there will a three to six-month period focussing on supplier mobilisation, platform enablement, and transition from the current platform to the new FDP platform.

Engagement, via the FDP Stakeholder Advisory Group to agree engagement activity supported by NHS England.

The NHS-PET will be put in place and fully operational ahead of the transition to the new FDP platform.

2024/2025

From early 2024, we will begin rolling out successfully piloted products to new trusts across England. These existing tools are focussed on priority areas such as care coordination (e.g., theatre management), virtual wards, and patient discharging. The ambition is to roll out these core, existing products to 70 Trusts by the end of Year one.

Large-scale engagement events to gather public views on digital and data transformation in the NHS will continue. Events will focus on key questions underpinning high-profile NHS data policies and programmes and provide the public with a genuine means of shaping policy around the use of their health data. Among the programmes and topics to be discussed will be the Federated Data Platform as well data for research and opt-out policy. Additionally, FDP specific engagement will be conducted from January onwards, drawing on the public’s feedback on NHS England’s web portal.

In parallel, we will be progressing a wider procurement for Product Development and Supporting Services (PDSS) to enable NHS England to (a) develop new national products across the five Use Cases (elective recovery, care coordination, population health management, immunisation & vaccination, and supply chain management) for NHS England, ICBs, and Local Trusts and (b) ensure these products are successfully rolled out and adopted by users.

The FDP Stakeholder Advisory Group will work with NHS England on engagement to support this.

3. Duties and responsibilities

The FDP check and challenge group’s responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

• playing an advisory role on the overall approach, plans and delivery options for FDP, in particular strategic level communications and public engagement.
• representing their own expert views or those of their parent organisations (where relevant) in providing feedback.
• bringing together viewpoints from patient, clinical and data usage communities, including feedback from NHS England’s engagement.
• acting as a senior advisory panel post-procurement for questions and issues raised through the programme stages, considering patient, public, professional, and ethical context, with the panel’s specific recommendations responded to by NHS England through the same process as other formal requests to the programme.
• being involved in the early draft stages of documents to provide feedback.
• driving and maximising the effective function of the group by ensuring the agenda, structure, and membership remain under regular review and under the responsibility of all members.

The group will give members the opportunity to provide expert advice, as well as to raise concerns and flag emerging issues.

The group may seek additional expertise or presentations from external attendees, with prior agreement with the Chair and the membership.

The chair may request additional steer by email from the group outside of the regular meeting times, if there is an urgent need.

The group is not decision -making and will not have sign -off on approaches or products but will be kept updated by the secretariat of decisions.

The group will give members the opportunity to review and feedback public communications, ahead of publication, where possible.

The group is not a decision-making body, it acts in an advisory capacity and will remain in place until further notice. The need for the group will be reviewed on a quarterly basis.

4. Method of operation

Chair

• The group will have an independent chair. The current chair is Jacob Lant, Chief Executive, National Voices.

Quorum

• TBA

Frequency and length

• Monthly, 90 minute meetings.  Reviewed as needed.
• Up to 1hour of prep may be required to review meeting papers.

Format

• Meetings will be held virtually on MS Teams.
• There will also be requests for members to review materials offline or out of the regular meetings to ensure meetings can be focussed on feedback and discussion.

Secretariat

• Meetings will be supported by NHS England’s FDP programme management office.

Standing agenda items

• Apologies
• Call for conflicts of interest
• Actions review from previous meeting and approval to publish notes
• Programme update
• Any other business

Governance

• The group is accountable to the FDP programme board.
• At least one member of the programme board will be at each meeting to ensure the views of the Check and Challenge Group are reflected in programme board meetings.

Apologies and substitutions

• Members will be expected to attend as many meetings as possible and are asked to ensure that the secretariat is made aware if they are unable to attend.
• Where group members need to send apologies, they are asked to do so with at least 48hrs notice (wherever possible).
• Members are permitted to send substitutions, however the secretariate must be made aware.

5. Inputs

The following inputs will be provided to each meeting:

• Action notes from the previous meeting
• Meeting agenda
• Relevant papers to support agenda

If any member is unable to attend a meeting it is expected that any updates relating to outstanding actions are provided in advance of the meeting.

6. Escalation process

Any serious concerns or issues should be reported to either FDP programme director – Ayub Bhayat or FDP programme SRO – Ming Tang.

7. Outputs and publication of information about the group

High-level meeting and action notes will be produced for each meeting. These will be circulated to group members and once approved at the next meeting, published on NHS England’s website. If, for any reason, confidential conversations are needed, which would prevent them being referenced in meeting notes, this will be made clear in the meeting.

8. Membership

The membership of the FDP Check and Challenge Group is attended by members from a range of organisations with knowledge and expertise regarding health data, patient and public voice, data security and the health system, including:

• National Voices (Independent Chair)
• Office of the National Data Guardian
• Association of Medical Research Charities
• Nottingham University Hospital Trust
• Healthwatch
• Understanding Patient Data
• Royal College of Surgeons
• Academy of Medical Royal Colleges
• Patients Association
• NHS Frimley
• North West London Integrated Care System
• Information Commissioner’s Office
• UNISON
• BMA
• RCGP
• NHS England
• Department of Health and Social Care
• NHS Confed

Participation in the group should not be viewed as any organisation being supportive of the programme.

Membership will be reviewed annually, in consultation with the FDP programme, the Check and Challenge Group Chair and members.

9. Confidentiality

We want all members to feel confident that the views they express in the meeting are confidential and will not be shared by other members verbally, or any other means, without permission.

All group members are expected to maintain confidentiality in order to promote honest, frank discussion during group meetings.

Comments and views will not be attributed to group members, without the prior agreement of that member. This includes any in meeting action notes.

Members may be privy to information that is not yet in the public domain and is not for wider discussion.

Members will be informed about what is, and what is not, confidential and asked to maintain absolute confidentiality. Members will be told when previously confidential information is ready to be in the public domain.

10. Declaration of interest

• Given the broad range of stakeholders, there may be discussions points or agenda items that crossover with members’ interests outside of the scope of this group, which should be clearly communicated and noted.
• At the start of each meeting, the Chair will ask group members for Declarations of Interest, in relation to the federated data platform programme, or any specific item on the Any interests must be declared and will be recorded and included in the published action notes.
• Members of the Panel who have declared an interest will also need to consider any potential or perceived conflict of interest in their contributions to the discussions as a matter of good governance during the meeting and if they feel they are potentially conflicted at any point due to the nature of the discussion, declare this and abstain from the remainder of the discussion.
• NHS England will work alongside the chair to review the planned meeting agenda against declared conflicts of interest in advance of each meeting. In any instances where the chair considers that members are at risk of potential or real conflicts of interest and have not recused themselves from the discussion point, the chair will be provided with the authority, alongside NHS England, to formally note this within the public minutes and remind members of their responsibility regarding declarations and conflicts of interests.
• This is in alignment with, and adheres to, the NHS England Standards of Business Conduct Policy and it’s guidance on managing conflicts of interest.