Meeting Chair: Director of Data Management and Transformation

Members present

• Chair – Director of Data Management and Transformation, NHS England
• Director of Digital Operations and Innovation, Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust Director of Advanced Analysis, Data and Analytics, NHS England
• Director of Delivery, External Supplier
• Assistant Director – Data Governance and Assurance, NHS England Deputy Director, Product Development and Implementation, NHS England Regional Director of Digital Transformation – East of England
• Chief Medical Officer, Kent and Medway NHS Trust Principal Accountant, NHS England
• Deputy Director, Demand and Delivery, NHS England
• Director of Transformation and Quality Improvement, NHS England Director of UEC Delivery, NHS England
• Regional Director of Digital Transformation – NHS Midlands Regional Chief Operating Officer – NHS Midlands
• Senior Governance Secretariat Officer, FDP, NHS England Portfolio Director, FDP, NHS England
• Programme Director, FDP, NHS England
• National Medical Director for Secondary Care, NHS England Senior Comms Lead, NHS England
• SCT Lead, NHS England SCT Lead, NHS England

Apologies

• Head of Information Governance, FDP, NHS England Director of Elective Recovery, NHS England
• Joint Chief Digital Officer, NHS England
• Director of Data and Analytics / Deputy CDAO, NHS England Assistant Head of Communication, NHS England
• Medical Productivity Director, NHS England
• Director – Data and Analytics, Transformation, NHS England Director of Out of Hospital UEC, NHS England
• Deputy Managing Director, NHS England Programme Management Director, NHS England
• Director, National Health and Social Care Discharge Taskforce, NHS England Finance Partnering Senior Lead, NHS England
• Director of Privacy, Transparency and Ethics, NHS England Chief Technology Officer, NHS England
• Director of Delivery – National Cancer Programme, NHS England Commercial Director, External Supplier
• Director of Privacy, Transparency and Ethics, NHS England
• Executive Director, Strategy Change and In-Hospital Services, NHS England

Welcome, introductions and declarations of interest

The Chair opened the meeting. Apologies for absence were noted.
There were no declarations of interest.

Review of minutes and actions

The minutes from the Programme Board meeting held on 29 January 2026 were reviewed and approved.
In relation to the ICB Fair Use Policy circulated with the papers, the Board discussed usage scenarios and the application of allowances for clustered ICBs. The Chair outlined the current position and confirmed that the approach would continue to be kept under review as the programme evolves.

Action: a follow up conversation will be arranged with regional colleagues to clarify the implications of ICB clustering and organisational size in relation to the Fair Use Policy allowance.

Decisions Made: PDG

The Board noted and ratified decisions made by the Programme Decision Group during January 2026.

Programme highlights, risks and FDP in numbers

The Board received an update on programme progress.

The Chair noted that some figures presented were unpublished and intended for internal
reporting purposes. Published figures ware released quarterly in line with established reporting requirements.

Communications and engagement update

The Board received an update on communications and engagement activity. This included recent media coverage, updates to frequently asked questions, support provided to trusts in responding to patient queries, and ongoing engagement with representative bodies.

It was noted that case studies are being developed and that future press activity will align, where appropriate, with benefits publications.

Demand and delivery update

The Board received an update on Demand and Delivery activity, outlining continued progress across acute, mental health, community and ambulance trusts.

Regional colleagues were encouraged to continue supporting organisations in delivery. The Board noted that overall programme progress remains strong.

Product update

The Board received an update on product development, including progress towards general availability for a number of products.

The Board discussed interest in potential primary care access to certain products. It was noted that access arrangements are considered on a product-by-product basis, subject to operational need and appropriate information governance and legal frameworks.

The Board noted that further consideration would be required should access arrangements expand in future.

Q3 benefits

The Board received an update on Q3 benefits, including patient relevant outcomes, new product metrics, and the overall benefits measurement approach. The appointment of an external evaluation partner was also noted.

The Board discussed the availability of regional and trust level breakdowns and noted that relevant dashboards are available. Further guidance will be provided as required.

Action: Share a template to support the visualisation of benefits data for regional conversations, noting that the underlying data is already available within the dashboards.

The importance of linking quantitative metrics with clinical and patient narratives was emphasised. It was noted that case studies are being developed to provide additional context.

The Board also discussed alignment with the Digital Maturity Assessment (DMA) and noted ongoing collaboration to explore inclusion of relevant adoption questions, where appropriate.

Strategic commissioning tool update

The Board received an overview of the Strategic Commissioning Tool, including its development, current use cases and future direction.

Discussion included considerations relating to cohort identification, governance requirements, and interoperability with existing systems. It was noted that any operational use cases would require a clear business purpose and appropriate legal basis.

The Board reflected on the importance of supporting locally led approaches to population health.
and noted the potential for broader deployment in future to support direct care use cases.

Any other business

The Board noted that user acceptance testing for the Demand Centre is underway, with further updates to be provided at a future meeting.

Action: Bring a further update on Demand Centre to the Board in April 2026.

Completed by: Meeting Secretariat
Reviewed by: SRO
Confirmed by: Chair