Government will not hold public consultation before launching NHS data platform
It says a policy document from June answers relevant questions about trust in healthcare data.
The UK Government has declined to conduct a public consultation on the nature and scope of the Federated Data Platform (FDP), prior to inviting companies to tender.
The FDP is a top-down approach NHS England is pursuing to acquire a data analytics system that will deal with personal health data, as part of a £360 million contract that spy-tech company Palantir is expected to win.
Palantir's initial COVID-19 Data Store role was expanded last year as part of a £23 million contract - awarded without a competitive bid process - to assist with the COVID-19 vaccine's distribution.
Gillian Keegan, Minister of State for Care and Mental Health, informed Parliament last week that NHS England, the non-departmental body that runs the NHS, does not intend to hold an open consultation.
Keegan made the statement in response to a written question that Labour MP Clive Lewis had submitted to Parliament about the matter.
"NHS England has no plans to do so," Keegan said.
Instead, she said the policy document 'Data saves lives: reshaping health and social care with data', published in June this year, committed to improving trust in the use of data within the healthcare system.
This involves engaging with the public and other stakeholders in data initiatives and programmes like research and development, the General Practice Data for Planning and Research (GPDPR) programme, and the FDP.
Keegan said the Government intends to interact with the public through a variety of methods, such as surveys, large-scale public engagement, and focus groups. It will use the results to inform a public campaign that will launch in early 2023, dealing with how the NHS uses data to improve patients' lives.
A particular emphasis will be on Secure Data Environments, including the FDP.
It is anticipated that NHS England will award the FDP contract in November.
The contract is expected to support the Government's plans to overhaul the NHS and help with the backlog in elective surgery brought on by COVID-19's burden on the system.
The Government issued a prior information notice (PIN) in April with the intention of engaging providers in the procurement process. At the time, it said the potential value of the contract was £240 million. If the contract's duration is extended, its value will rise to £360 million.
'NHS England is planning to go to the market for a Federated Data Platform, which will be an essential enabler to transformational improvements across the NHS.
'The FDP will be an ecosystem of technologies and services implemented across the NHS in England.'
Commenting on the Government's statement, Foxglove director Cori Crider said: "If this is really as advertised - a massive new 'operating system for the entire NHS' - then the Government should consult the public and give people a chance to consent."
"If the Government omits those procedures, it cannot change how it gathers, uses, and safeguards our NHS data. Although Palantir is just the tip of the iceberg, it is a portion of the issue at hand."
Other campaigners highlighted the harm that could be done to patients' trust in the use of their data if the project goes forward without consultation.
Jan Shortt, general secretary of the National Pensioners Convention, said patients have a right to know what is happening to their data before a system is put in place to collect it.
"Public consultation is a big opportunity to improve the system and ensure our members' data will be safe long before the work of collection starts. To leave this vital strategy until 2023 instead is very concerning."