Hospitals See ‘No Notable Improvement’ After Using Palantir Tool

Hospitals noticed “no notable improvement” after using a patient discharge tool from Palantir, a US tech company with ties to the US and Israeli militaries.

NHS trusts that use the tool found “no meaningful difference” in discharge delays, according to analysis by the Health Foundation, a think-tank.

The findings contrast with claims from NHS England that using the Federated Data Platform causes a 15% fall in long-stay discharge delays. Palantir won a £330m contract to build the platform in 2023.

An NHS England analysis seen by the Financial Times was restricted to long-stay discharges because the tool was “mainly designed to support the management of complex patients”.

Critics told the newspaper that this analysis was flawed.

Steve Black, a healthcare consultant and former NHS data scientist, said: “It is dangerous to selectively quote evidence like that because its success should be judged against fixing the underlying problem, which is how do we better manage all discharges to free up more beds.”

Palantir said the Health Foundation report “appears to misunderstand what the tool does”.

In June, MPs called for the government to trigger a break clause in the contract and find a UK-based provider.

NHS England said it had “engaged with the Health Foundation on its analysis of the OPTICA discharge tool, providing data and discussing the different approaches and methods used to assess impact” and commissioned an independent evaluation.

There have been conflicting reports, based on anonymous briefings, about whether or not prime minister Andy Burnham intends to cancel the Palantir contract.