NHS England removes claim that 137 trusts benefit from Palantir’s data platform

NHS England’s public account of Palantir’s reach now has less detail as ministers weigh the company’s £330 million contract. It removed a webpage claiming 137 hospital trusts were benefiting from its data platform after a Guardian investigation found that some listed trusts disputed using all or most of the technology.

The Federated Data Platform, or FDP, is intended to help the health service manage medical information, improve operating theatre efficiency and discharge patients sooner. Palantir was hired to help manage the vast quantities of medical data held by NHS England. The disputed webpage presented a list of NHS bodies as both “live” with the platform and “realising benefits”.

A named list gives way to general claims

The Guardian reported that 29 trusts on the list said they were not using all or most of the system. Their responses included statements that the platform was not live or that they were using none of its applications. Those findings challenged the national tally of hospitals described as benefiting, rather than establishing that every listed trust had the same experience.

The removal followed research by Medact, a health justice campaign group, which sent freedom of information requests to every hospital and integrated care board in England. That work sought accounts of use from the organisations themselves. Medact welcomed the webpages being taken down but questioned why NHS England had used what it called shaky evidence to promote the software’s benefits.

A less detailed replacement page still promotes the platform. It says early users are “already seeing real results”, citing reduced administration, faster patient pathways and more time for care. The change therefore removes the detailed list of trusts without withdrawing the broader assertion that the technology is helping its early users.

When NHS England makes claims like this without checking them, it destroys trust – and it has happened before.

Ben Coleman, Labour MP and member of the Commons health and social care select committee

The watchdog is examining the usage claims

The Office for Statistics Regulation said it was examining NHS claims about the extent of the platform’s use. Critics argue that those claims make the system look more embedded in the health service than it is. The examination concerns how adoption is represented, alongside the separate question of what results the software delivers.

NHS England had already received a warning from the regulator over a different performance claim: that the platform had helped deliver more than 100,000 extra operations. The watchdog said there was no evidence to support that claim. Coleman cited that earlier dispute in warning that another overclaim could discourage hospitals from using the system and threaten its viability.

A contract decision remains pending

Ministers are weighing whether to extend Palantir’s £330 million contract to 2029, according to the Guardian. That puts the disputed account of adoption alongside a decision about the supplier’s future role. The extension is under consideration, not a completed agreement.

Coleman wants the NHS to drop Palantir and develop an open health-data platform on which trusts and British technology companies could build tools. His proposed alternative goes beyond correcting the published tally: it would change the foundation on which those tools are developed. NHS England did not respond to the Guardian’s requests for comment.