Key facts
- Palantir, a US data analytics company, is involved in the NHS's £330 million Federated Data Platform (FDP).
- The FDP aims to connect incompatible databases across the NHS to improve planning and efficiency.
- Critics have raised concerns about data governance, transparency, trust, and potential security risks.
- Palantir's chairman, Peter Thiel, has expressed controversial views, including advocating for NHS privatization.
- Palantir states it acts as a data processor, with NHS organizations as data controllers, and denies commercial interest in patient data.
The UK's National Health Service (NHS) is working with the US data analytics company Palantir on its £330 million Federated Data Platform (FDP). Supporters believe the platform can enhance planning and efficiency by integrating disparate NHS IT systems, addressing a long-standing issue of fragmented data.
Palantir, which specializes in data storage and AI-driven analysis, provides decision-making platforms like Foundry used by government and businesses. However, the company's involvement has drawn criticism regarding data governance, transparency, and trust. Concerns are amplified by Palantir's chairman, Peter Thiel, who has publicly advocated for the privatization of the NHS.
Critics, including some Members of Parliament, have labeled Palantir a "military surveillance company" and a "major security risk" due to its foreign ownership and past contracts with entities like the Israeli Defence Force. There are also worries about potential data access by US authorities under the US Cloud Act, although Palantir maintains it acts solely as a data processor and has no commercial interest in patient data, comparing its role to that of Microsoft or Google within the NHS.
The contracts with Palantir have faced scrutiny regarding their procurement process. An initial COVID data store was awarded without open competition under emergency rules, and subsequent renewals also lacked evidence of competitive tendering. While the latest FDP contract was awarded competitively, Palantir's prior involvement may have provided an advantage, a phenomenon known as "vendor lock-in."
Palantir UK executive vice-chair Louis Mosley has defended the company's work, stating that joining up fragmented information is crucial for patient experience and that the software delivers value for money. He emphasized that Palantir does not have access to or interest in NHS patient data, asserting it is not their business model or legal basis for operation.