The NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) was the cornerstone of the health service’s digital evolution, a secure, unified layer designed to enable trusts to anticipate demand, standardise operational data, and deploy analytics and AI widely. However, by late 2025, its implementation shows varying degrees of success: while many organisations have signed on, only a small number fully realise the platform’s promised benefits. This limited adoption is a critical issue as the FDP’s ultimate value hinges on widespread and deep usage, not a fragmented collection of initial trials.
Slow Uptake, Limited Capacity, and Rising Costs: Why the Federated Data Platform Still Isn’t Delivering System-Wide Impact
Despite substantial national investment and encouraging headline figures from NHS England's own uptake snapshot (30 October 2025), the full adoption of the Federated Data Platform (FDP) faces challenges. While the snapshot reports that 77 hospital trusts are live and use FDP products, 150 trusts have signed memoranda of understanding, and 41 Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) are live reflecting a programme projected to yield benefits in the hundreds of millions over seven years, sector reporting in 2025 reveals a more concerning reality. A much smaller cohort of trusts fully implemented the "core" FDP components. Specifically, one report indicates that a maximum of 16 trusts currently utilise the Outpatients Care Co-ordination Solution (Outpatients CCS) product. This low level of adoption cannot realise the platform's intended system-wide benefits.
The limited adoption of the Federated Data Platform (FDP) stems primarily from practical challenges. A significant barrier is the lack of internal data expertise within many trusts; they face shortages in analysts, data engineers, and product owners needed to integrate FDP outputs into daily operations. Furthermore, reliance on legacy IT systems and bespoke local platforms complicates FDP integration. Instead of a full implementation, some trusts adopt FDP components piecemeal, utilising only one or two products. This fragmented approach diminishes potential benefits and hinders interoperability. Consequently, the full "network effects" of the FDP, such as quicker diagnostics, optimised scheduling, and better cross trust demand planning, have yet to be fully realised in many locations.
The financial implications also demand attention. Independent reports in 2025 have increased the estimated whole-life costs of the programme (with press suggesting the FDP could surpass £1bn), leading to greater questioning of when, and if, the anticipated benefits will be realized. This scrutiny is justified: governments and governing bodies require clear, trustworthy evidence that FDP implementations deliver quantifiable improvements in patient outcomes or operational efficiency before they approve further expansion.
Building Capability but Not Yet Impact: Why the FDP’s Promise Still Depends on Deep, Sustained Adoption
NHS England continually advances its efforts. It has secured funding for local licences and a comprehensive support package. Furthermore, to address the workforce's capability gap, they announced a dedicated apprenticeship route for FDP (Federated Data Platform) skills in November 2025; the first cohorts should start in early 2026. While these initiatives build capability, they will take time to produce the live analysts and product owners needed to fully operationalise FDP outputs.
The full potential of the FDP is dependent on the NHS transitioning from mere sign-ups to ensuring deep, sustained use of the platform. Unless this happens, the platform's initial promise will remain an aspiration for the future, rather than delivering tangible benefits to patients and clinicians in the present.
