NHS Claims Palantir’s Tech Helps Hospitals That Are Not Even Using It

The NHS claimed dozens of hospitals had benefited from a platform built by spytech firm Palantir despite the hospitals not even using it, an investigation has found.  

Medical charity Medact revealed that 29 NHS Trusts supposedly “realising benefits” from the AI-powered federated data platform (FDP) have either said the system is not live or that they are not using any of its applications.

The revelations, based on freedom of information requests, add weight to widespread calls for Andy Burnham’s government to cancel the NHS’s £330m deal with the US firm. 

Those calls are based on fears that patient data could be misused by Palantir, which has worked closely with Israel’s military amid its genocide in Gaza and also sells its services to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Labour MP Chi Onwurah, who chairs the parliamentary science and technology committee, said the government should exercise a 2027 break clause in the NHS contract. 

“If many NHS trusts don’t see the value of the FDP, serious questions need to be asked about whether the hype surrounding Palantir’s products matches reality,” she told the Guardian. 

Analysis by the think tank Health Foundation found in July that a patient discharge tool from Palantir made “no meaningful difference” in discharge delays despite claims by NHS England to the contrary. 

In response to public pressure to exclude Palantir from UK government contracts, the company has ramped up lobbying efforts. In September, it appointed former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson as a senior vice president, and he has since said that “mob rule” should not dictate how public contracts are awarded.

Last month, Novara Media revealed that Palantir has sent “intimidating” letters to British MPs who have criticised the company. 

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was among those to receive a letter from Palantir’s UK CEO Louis Mosley, who is the grandson of deceased fascist leader Oswald Mosley. 

“Their tactics of intimidation will not work and they will not shut me up,” Corbyn said.  

A spokesperson told the Guardian that Palantir’s software “is helping to deliver better care” including more operation and lower discharge delays.