FDP+ Automation and Continuous Assurance: Embedding Intelligence Into NHS Operations
The modern NHS doesn’t just need better analytics — it needs smarter systems. Systems that reduce manual effort guide decision-making and ensure every insight is secure, explainable, and auditable. In an era where data is central to care delivery, automation and assurance are not optional. They are essential.
FDP+, as the enablement and assurance layer on top of the Federated Data Platform (FDP), provides this capability. It enables NHS Trusts and ICBs to embed automation into workflows, proactively monitor compliance, and respond rapidly to change. With FDP+, data doesn’t just inform operations — it becomes part of them. This final blog in the FDP+ series explores how automation, workflow optimisation, and continuous assurance are brought to life in a federated NHS environment.
From Ad-Hoc to Automated: A New Operating Model
Historically, many NHS reporting and data-driven workflows have relied on manual tasks:
- Analysts manually extract and transform datasets
- Users request reports via email or shared folders
- Compliance checks are performed after-the-fact This model is unsustainable as data volumes grow and demands increase.
FDP+ replaces this with a digital-first, automated architecture:
- Data pipelines are triggered automatically based on data availability
- Reports are generated and distributed via scheduled workflows
- Approvals and access requests are governed by configurable rules
- Alerts and anomalies are surfaced in real-time
This doesn’t just reduce workload — it improves data quality, traceability, and timeliness.
Workflow Automation: Streamlining NHS Operations
FDP+ supports no-code and low-code automation of critical data workflows. These include:
1. Data Access & Approvals
- Self-service request portals
- Role-based validation of user permissions
- Automatic logging of DPIA and access decisions
2. Reporting & Dashboarding
- Scheduled generation of Power BI, Tableau, and Excel outputs
- Auto-distribution via secure NHS apps, email, and Teams
- Live dashboards are refreshed hourly or as new data arrives
Read: FDP+: Empowering NHS Business Intelligence Through Seamless Tool Compatibility
3. Clinical Alerts & Operational Monitoring
A major benefit of FDP+ is the ability to move beyond siloed dashboards and toward federated, system-level reporting.
Using FDP+ tooling and data federation principles, NHS teams can:
- Combine local and national datasets in single dashboards
- Report on region-wide activity without exporting data from source systems
- Filter and visualise data by ICS, Trust, locality, or cohort
- Embed permissions directly into the BI tool interface
- Present aligned views to stakeholders across clinical, operational, and finance functions
This marks a significant shift: dashboards become not just outputs but living interfaces for collective decision-making across organisation.
Assurance by Design: Continuous Compliance in Practice Data assurance has often been periodic — an annual DSPT check, a quarterly audit, and a reactive DPIA. FDP+ introduces continuous assurance:
- Every integration, every workflow, every model is logged, monitored, and validated
- Real-time compliance dashboards show live adherence to NHS and regulatory standards
- Automated testing frameworks catch errors and risks before they reach production
This includes:
- Continuous DSPT & DTAC validation across systems
- Role-based access reviews and re-authentication prompts
- Automated risk scoring for data quality anomalies
- Model-level explainability checks and fairness audits Assurance is not a layer on top — it’s built into every process.
Federated Governance: Local Control, System-Wide Trust
In a federated system, governance is everyone’s responsibility. FDP+ makes this practical through:
- Shared policy templates that can be localised
- Configurable RBAC frameworks that reflect local governance tiers
- Federated identity management (SSO + MFA across NHS Identity, Azure AD, Okta)
- Logging and audit trails for every data action — at the user and system level
This means ICBs and Trusts remain accountable, even as they collaborate. Data sovereignty and system trust coexist.
1. Incident Response & Resilience
FDP+ includes tooling for early detection and rapid response:
- Automated alerts for unusual access patterns or performance degradation
- Configurable incident playbooks for rapid triage
- Audit-ready logs for compliance investigations
Combined with proactive vulnerability scanning and disaster recovery planning, this creates a system that is not only intelligent — but resilient.
2. Self-Service Governance Tools
FDP+ brings governance to the hands of users:
- Analysts can tag models and datasets with caveats and usage notes
- Local IG leads can manage access roles via admin consoles
- Compliance teams can run automated policy checks without code
This shifts governance from a bottleneck to an enabler — embedded, responsive, and transparent.
3. Licensing, Cost Optimisation & Scalability
FDP+ includes frameworks for predictable cost management:
- Tiered licensing aligned with user roles and usage profiles
- Monitoring of license utilisation and renewal schedules
- Bulk purchasing models that reduce duplication across ICBs
Auto-scaling infrastructure ensures performance even at peak demand, with guardrails in place to control cost.
4. Assuring the AI Lifecycle
FDP+ doesn’t stop at analytics. It manages the full lifecycle of AI in NHS environments:
- Model development in secure sandboxes
- Approval workflows for deployment and update
- Monitoring of model performance and accuracy drift
- User feedback loops for refinement and governance
This turns AI into a service — governed, assured, and clinically safe.
Read: Empowering NHS Analysts Through FDP+: Future-Proofing Skills, Enhancing Value
5. Integrated Support and Service Management
FDP+ is backed by structured service support:
- 24×7 support desk aligned to SLA severity levels
- Tiered support for local and national components
- Transparent incident management with root cause analysis
- Parallel-run transition support for ICBs assuming operational control
This ensures Trusts are supported not just during implementation, but throughout the full lifecycle of adoption and evolution.
The Future: Intelligent NHS Systems
The NHS is no longer simply implementing digital tools. It is becoming an intelligent system. One where data, decisions, and delivery are integrated. FDP+ helps make this real by:
- Connecting analytics to operations ·
- Automating routine tasks and enabling proactive actions
- Providing confidence that every model, dataset, and workflow is safe, governed, and explainable
With FDP+, NHS Trusts don’t just do more with data — they do it better, faster, and with assurance.
Conclusion: From Strategy to Sustainability
Analytics doesn’t stop with dashboards. Governance doesn’t start and end with policy. The future of the NHS depends on systems that are automated, trusted, and designed for continuous improvement. FDP+ gives NHS organisations the tools, frameworks, and support to build these systems — without replacing the value of what’s already in place. It’s not a bolt-on. It’s a foundation.
A federated NHS. A connected data ecosystem. And a future where intelligence is built in.
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Rory joined techUK in June 2023 after three years in the Civil Service on its Fast Stream leadership development programme.
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Rory joined techUK in June 2023 after three years in the Civil Service on its Fast Stream leadership development programme.
During this time, Rory worked on the Government's response to Covid-19 (NHS Test & Trace), school funding strategy (Department for Education) and international climate and nature policy (Cabinet Office). He also tackled the social care crisis whilst on secondment to techUK's Health and Social Care programme in 2022.
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During this time, Rory worked on the Government's response to Covid-19 (NHS Test & Trace), school funding strategy (Department for Education) and international climate and nature policy (Cabinet Office). He also tackled the social care crisis whilst on secondment to techUK's Health and Social Care programme in 2022.
Before this, Rory worked in the House of Commons and House of Lords alongside completing degrees in Political Economy and Global Politics.
Today, Rory leads techUK's emerging technologies activity across everything from immersive, web3, AI and robotics to space, gaming & metaverse.
This involves co-running techUK's flagship Innovation campaign, managing four series (including the 'Meet the Innovators' interview series), and launching 4-6-month 'sprint campaigns' on transformative technologies and sectors.
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Rory Daniels
Rory joined techUK in June 2023 after three years in the Civil Service on its Fast Stream leadership development programme.
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