Health innovation minister James Frith has voiced concerns about declining patient willingness to share medical data with the NHS, attributing the issue to public distrust of Palantir, the US defense and technology firm operating the health service’s federated data platform. The government is currently evaluating whether to terminate Palantir’s £330m contract.
Patient data withdrawals have increased significantly, with 60,000 additional people opting out of data sharing between mid-May and mid-July through the national data opt-out mechanism. Frith acknowledged in correspondence to the Commons health committee chair that this rise in opt-outs corresponds with media coverage surrounding Palantir’s operations.
Criticism of Palantir stems from multiple sources, including medical professionals and patient advocacy groups who have raised concerns about the company’s contracts with the Israeli military and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They question whether the arrangement provides sufficient value and have called for the government to invoke a break clause in the seven-year agreement. Separately, London’s mayor blocked the Metropolitan Police from awarding Palantir a £50m contract, citing concerns about alignment with community values; the company is currently pursuing legal action in response.
Palantir and its representatives maintain that its technology has improved NHS efficiency, citing statistics including 110,000 additional operations conducted at trusts using the system, a 15% reduction in discharge delays for long-stay patients, and a 6.8% improvement in cancer diagnosis timelines within 28 days. However, NHS England stated it could not establish causality between these outcomes and Palantir’s involvement, and the government’s statistics watchdog is investigating the figures.
Frith indicated a potential policy adjustment regarding mandatory use of the federated data platform by NHS trusts, suggesting organizations may pursue alternative solutions. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson clarified that the platform has never been mandatory for adoption.
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