NHS trusts question claimed benefits from Palantir platform

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NHS trusts question Palantir

Highlights

NHS England claims 137 trusts are live with the £330 million federated data platform, but 29 trusts say they are not using it or its applications.
Political and regulatory scrutiny increases as MPs and campaigners call for the government to use a 2027 break clause in Palantir's contract and consider UK-based alternatives.
The Office for Statistics Regulation is investigating NHS England's unverified claims about trusts 'realising benefits,' as critics demand transparency in measuring the platform's impact.

Freedom of information replies challenge NHS rollout claims

The Guardian reports that the gap emerged from more than 100 freedom of information requests examining NHS England's description of trusts as "realising benefits" from the £330 million federated data platform, or FDP. NHS England says 137 trusts are live with the platform, but 29 of the trusts listed as benefiting say they are either not using the system or are not using any of its applications.

Among the trusts cited, Epsom and St Helier says it is not using the FDP at the moment, while Kent and Medway says the platform is not currently live because other priorities have taken precedence. Mersey Care says it has not yet gone live, Nottingham University Hospitals says no implementation timeline has been agreed, and University Hospitals of North Midlands says the FDP is not live and will not be rolled out in future.

The discrepancy has drawn criticism from senior health officials and lawmakers. Chi Onwurah, chair of the Commons science and technology committee, says serious questions need to be asked if many NHS trusts do not see value in the FDP, and she calls for the government to activate a 2027 break clause in the contract and open competition to a UK-based supplier for patient records management.

Political and regulatory pressure builds around Palantir contract

The scrutiny comes as ministers face calls from MPs and campaigners to end Palantir's contract for the flagship government AI system, which is intended to connect medical records, improve discharge processes and support surgery scheduling. NHS England has already faced questions over a separate claim that trusts using the FDP carried out 117,539 more operations in a year, after conceding this summer that it could not prove cause and effect.

The Office for Statistics Regulation says it will take forward the issue of trusts "realising benefits" under its casework function. NHS England maintains that nearly 140 trusts have reported benefits from a wide range of tools on the platform, including back-office data analysis and submissions rather than direct patient care, and it is understood some trusts may be using limited functions such as treatment cost calculations.

Palantir is also intensifying its defence of the contract. UK and Europe chief executive Louis Mosley says ending the deal would put politics above patients, while the company recently hired former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson as a full-time senior lobbyist. Marc Farr, chair of the NHS Chief Data and Analytics Officers Network, says accurate and transparent reporting of benefits is crucial for maintaining public support for the nationally funded programme.

Our earlier article examined the internal Liberal Democrat dispute over Ed Davey’s strategy, as frontbench resignations exposed tensions between tax-cut messaging and a more fiscally cautious approach. It also highlighted concerns that headline pledges — including around the triple lock — could damage credibility and revive memories of past policy reversals if the party moves closer to power-sharing.

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