{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://oli.zilla.org.uk/2025/12/02/nhs-fdp-canonical-data-model",
  "description": "What does it mean to own an interface to a proprietary cloud platform?",
  "path": "/2025/12/02/nhs-fdp-canonical-data-model",
  "publishedAt": "2025-12-02T00:00:00.000Z",
  "site": "at://did:plc:2ngsl5btroik454wzz7vpbzq/site.standard.publication/3mn67n3cam32w",
  "textContent": "The Canonical Data Model and the FDP\n\nThe NHS \"owns\" the Canonical Data Model (CDM), the interface to the Federated Data Platform that all existing systems are to integrate with and that new systems should build on. This is what the CDM interface looks like today.\n\n<div class=\"bg-white\">\n\n</div>\n\n<small class=\"caption bg-white\">\nSource: <a href=\"https://github.com/nhsengland/fdp-canonical-data-model/blob/1ee513515656b7a46a01a9f6a77a0c3efd773bde/canonical-data-model-openapi.yaml\">github.com/nhsengland/fdp-canonical-data-model</a>\n</small>\n\nIt's good that we own the CDM. But this is autogenerated from Palantir tooling. A key plank of the _\"we're not getting locked in\"_ argument is that another provider could implement this interface. It's technically true, but what does it really mean to \"own\" a custom interface to proprietary platform?\n\nWe're on pay-as-you-go access to Foundry. Each trust gets access to it's own isolated cloud env. A data collection agent runs inside the trust and copies data to their Foundry account. The data transforms and dashboards that we build in there are only available as long we keep paying the bill.\n\nThe project could well fail like many before it thanks to the quiet resistance of staff who reject it. Or it succeeds and creates a difficult to unpick dependency and a new monopoly provider of access to NHS information. Much of the value of this massive integration work will accrue in Foundry, and it will be hard to move it to a competitor. \n\nWe can assume that it provides some appealing tooling for the price tag. Can we get some of the benefit and push back on the lock in? What are our options?\n\n- Build and open implementation of the CDM API?  \nIt's unattractive but we need provide an alternative target to write to, and have place to iterate on that API.\n\n- Capture work done in Foundry in portable formats where possible?  \nE.g. use PySpark and SQL where you can. This will remove some of the benefits of the tooling, and for no-code pipeline and dashboard builders is likely not be possible, but it's worth defining the features that create more lock in.\n\n- Burn it all? Build one to throw away? Is this just a test run to figure out what we really need?\n\nWhat do you think? We need some work here fast. \n\nScotland is building their own National Digital Platform and building on OpenEHR which looks much more appealing as a strategy from where we are.\n\n---\n\nOriginal thread on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/oli.zilla.org.uk/post/3m6zfgerb3k2i\n\nSources\n\nDunscombe, R. (2025). Maximising the impact of the NHS Federated Data Platform. Public Policy Project. https://publicpolicyprojects.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/PPP_DDT-RT2-Report_06_25.pdf\n\nNHS England » Contract explainer. Retrieved 5 December 2025, from https://www.england.nhs.uk/digitaltechnology/nhs-federated-data-platform/security-privacy/contract-explainer/\n\nFederated Data Platform and Associated Services—Contracts Finder. (n.d.). Retrieved 5 December 2025, from https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/0f8a65b5-23a2-4294-abb1-a7fd8efb3ad0\n\nGS1 UK (Director). (2025, June 4). Ming Tang | Defining the technology strategy for a digital first health system [Video recording]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-moLtLdLJA\n\nKerasidou, A., & Kerasidou, C. (Xaroula). (2023). Data-driven research and healthcare: Public trust, data governance and the NHS. BMC Medical Ethics, 24(1), 51. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-023-00922-z\n\nLovell, T. (2025, May 19). NHSE quizzed on the link between single patient record and FDP. Digital Health. https://www.digitalhealth.net/2025/05/nhse-quizzed-on-the-link-between-single-patient-record-and-fdp/\n\nMoss, B. (2025, February 26). Chief Data and Analytical Officer Network position on the Federated Data Platform (FDP). AphA - Association of Professional Healthcare Analysts. https://www.aphanalysts.org/cdao-network-news/chief-data-and-analytical-officer-network-position-on-the-federated-data-platform-fdp/\n\nPalantir Foundry. (n.d.). Palantir. Retrieved 2 December 2025, from https://www.palantir.com/platforms/foundry/",
  "title": "The Canonical Data Model and the FDP"
}