NHS England (NHSE) has quietly added disclaimers to its published figures regarding the benefits of Palantir's Federated Data Platform (FDP), admitting that the data does not establish cause and effect. This move comes after an investigation by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) and significant pressure from Members of Parliament (MPs) and media scrutiny, particularly from the Financial Times. The previous claims, frequently cited by ministers and Palantir, included 110,000 additional operations delivered and a 15% reduction in discharge delays, figures that NHSE has now conceded cannot be causally proven.
MPs from the Health and Social Care Committee have written to Health Innovation and Safety Minister Preet Kaur Gill, urging the government to remove Palantir and its FDP, citing public "mistrust" and "contested benefits." The Commons Science and Technology Committee had previously recommended exercising a February 2027 break clause in the FDP contract, suggesting either an in-house replacement or an alternative from UK-owned and UK-based providers. Over 100 NHS data analysts, co-signed by Unison, also sent a joint letter to the committee expressing concerns about the Palantir contract, which was awarded for £330 million in November 2023 and is expected to exceed £1 billion over its lifetime.
Further analysis, including by the Financial Times based on Freedom of Information data provided by legal charity Foxglove, revealed that the reported benefits of the FDP are unevenly distributed and, in some cases, dubious. For instance, one trust, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, accounted for 84% of the reduction in outpatient waiting lists cited across 16 trusts using the platform. The report also indicated that 13 out of 41 trusts using the FDP theatre scheduling tool actually reported performing fewer procedures after adopting it, directly contradicting the headline claims. Some trusts have also admitted errors in the data supporting discharge delay reductions, with figures showing implausible drops from hundreds of thousands to zero.
The health minister has apologized for NHSE errors regarding FDP data access. The Office for Statistics Regulation launched an investigation into NHSE's claims, which had previously been presented without demonstrating statistical rigor or ruling out other influencing factors. MPs have voiced concerns that the "serious mistrust" towards Palantir could deter patients from sharing medical data, undermining broader digital health initiatives. A decision on whether to replace Palantir is expected by early autumn at the latest, with internal discussions already reportedly focused on how to trigger the 2027 break clause to avoid potential legal challenges.
