Written question asked by Margaret Greenwood (Labour) on Thursday, 27 April 2023, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 3 May 2023 (named day). A holding answer was provided on Wednesday, 3 May 2023. A substantive answer was provided by Will Quince (Conservative) on Tuesday, 23 May 2023 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

NHS: Databases

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Federated Data Platform, what safeguards are in place to ensure that it will not be used to market health or care services and products to patients.

Answer: There will not be marketing activity within the Federated Data Platform (FDP). It will comply with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Information Commissioner’s Office guidance and associated regulations, standards and guidance. Access to data in the FDP will always be controlled by National Health Service organisations. Use of data in the FDP will be clearly auditable and will be assessed to ensure compliance with GDPR and Information Governance rules.

Secondary information