NHS Sovereign Federated Data Platform · 04 — Evidence, Limits & Independent Assessment

Claims separated from reproducible evidence

The reference release is executable and independently reproducible. It is not presented as a live national platform, and unverified production capability remains explicitly labelled.

Independently reproduced

What the embedded reference implementation proved

An independent deep-research assessment reconstructed the embedded source, checked its integrity and executed the released tests in an isolated environment using synthetic data.

100/100

File hashes matched

Every file extracted from the embedded release matched its declared SHA-256 integrity record.

12/12

Tests passed

API, event, export, identity, release-contract and RTT behaviour passed the reconstructed test suite.

119

Waiting days reproduced

The demonstration pathway produced the stated deterministic calculation on the fixed calculation date.

1

Idempotent live task

Repeated evaluation did not create duplicate live work-queue tasks for the same pathway and rule state.

✓

Identity check reproduced

The cited synthetic NHS Number passed the implemented Modulus 11 validation check.

0

Generative-AI dependencies

Identity, pathway calculation, routing, task creation, audit, provenance and export execute without an LLM.

Evidence boundary

Verified demonstrator versus production platform

CapabilityCurrent evidencePosition
Embedded source integrity All declared files reconstructed and hash-matched. Verified
Deterministic RTT demonstrator Calculation, validation, identity state, task idempotency, audit and export tested. Verified at demonstrator scale
Live NHS connectors FHIR, HL7, PDS, CIS2 and source-system contracts are specified; no live connection is claimed. Not verified
Production container deployment Docker, Kubernetes and OpenShift assets are defined; independent production deployment was outside the assessment. Reference capability only
Security assurance Threat, access, logging, secrets, incident and recovery requirements are mapped. Penetration testing outstanding
Clinical safety DCB0129/0160 artefact structure and governance are included. Templates; accountable completion required
National scale and resilience Profiles and acceptance targets are declared rather than presented as observed results. Load and failure evidence outstanding
Supplier-exit method Inventory, export chain-of-custody, parallel run, reconciliation, rollback and exit-report assets are complete templates. Immediately usable for exit-readiness work

Why the release matters now

A live national dependency decision

These figures reproduce the independent assessment’s dated evidence base. NHS England’s benefit figures are observational and remain contested; they are shown as reported, not independently proven outcomes.

Chart showing NHS FDP adoption among trusts and ICBs at the end of May 2026
Reported adoption as at end-May 2026. Source: NHS England uptake and benefits publication.
Chart comparing FDP headline contract, expanded value, estimated whole-life cost and claimed benefits
Contract and whole-life figures compared with the revised benefits claim; figures and methods are attributed to their sources.
Chart showing reported cumulative FDP product impacts to the end of March 2026
Reported product impacts. These are not presented as independently evaluated causal results.
Chart showing the England RTT waiting list of 7.28 million pathways in May 2026
The national operational scale against which any replacement route must eventually be tested.

Current national position

The March 2027 break point

  • The national FDP contract began in March 2024 with an initial term to March 2027.
  • The House of Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee recommended exercising the break clause and developing an in-house or UK-controlled alternative.
  • NHS England reported 139 trusts live and 35 of 42 ICBs live by the end of May 2026.
  • The independent assessment identified supplier-exit machinery as this project’s most strategically valuable current contribution.
  • Any decision must protect continuity for live operational products while making dependency, export and reconciliation evidence visible.

Highest-value next evidence

What must happen next

  1. Complete the national RTT clock rules with full test vectors.
  2. Run representative PostgreSQL load tests and populate the declared evidence format.
  3. Complete one DCB0129 clinical safety case end to end for the RTT product.
  4. Build a priced migration case against one volunteer trust’s real estate.
  5. Rehearse verified export, parallel running and reconciliation before the contract decision.

Primary evidence links

Independent and official sources

NHS Sovereign Federated Data Platform — Complete Master Technical Record (PDF) UK Parliament — Committee recommendation on the 2027 FDP break clause House of Commons — Rewiring the state: Delivering digital government NHS England — FDP uptake and reported benefits NHS England — FDP contract explainer Hansard — NHS Federated Data Platform debate, 16 April 2026 The BMJ — NHS preparation for possible supplier removal
The evidence supports an executable reference implementation and a rigorous exit-readiness framework. It does not convert synthetic demonstration into a claim of national deployment readiness.
← 03 Governance & Exit Return to FDP Overview →