NHS England removes list of trusts using Palantir AI after scrutiny
Health service officials have deleted a webpage claiming 137 trusts benefit from Palantir technology after investigations revealed many were not fully using the system.
By Marina Weber ·
NHS England has removed a specific claim from its website stating that 137 hospital trusts are currently benefiting from Palantir’s AI health data system. This decision followed a report by the Guardian, which found that 29 of the listed trusts were not using all or most of the controversial technology. The original webpage displayed a comprehensive list of NHS bodies described as being live on the AI-powered federated data platform. This system was designed to improve patient outcomes, increase operating theatre efficiency, and accelerate bed discharges.
The removal of the list occurred after 29 individual trusts indicated that the platform was either not live or that they were not utilizing any of its applications. A simplified page now remains on the website, stating that early users are already seeing real results, including reduced administration, faster patient pathways, and more time dedicated to care. This update comes at a critical time as ministers consider whether to extend Palantir’s 330 million pound contract through 2029. Additionally, the Office for Statistics Regulation has begun examining the extent of the system’s actual use, responding to critics who argue the technology appears more integrated into the health service than it truly is.
Palantir was originally hired to help manage the vast quantities of medical data held by NHS England. However, various campaigners, members of parliament, and doctors’ unions have long called for the deal to be scrapped, often arguing that its effectiveness has been overstated. The statistics watchdog had previously warned NHS England that there was no evidence to support the claim that the technology had helped deliver more than 100,000 extra operations. Some opponents also raise concerns about the company’s background, noting it was founded by Peter Thiel, a billionaire who supports Donald Trump, and that it also works for the Israeli military and the US administration’s ICE immigration crackdown.
Ben Coleman, a senior Labour MP and member of the Commons health and social care select committee, described the situation as troubling. He noted that NHS England listed the 137 trusts as benefiting from the platform but apparently pulled the list after 29 said they were not using it. Coleman warned that making such claims without verification destroys public trust. He suggested that this overclaim could discourage other hospitals from using the system, thereby threatening its viability. Coleman advocates for the NHS to drop Palantir and instead develop an open platform for health data, allowing NHS trusts and British tech companies to build their own tools.
The decision to take down the list followed research by the Medact campaign group, which sent freedom of information requests to every hospital and integrated care board in England to investigate the use of Palantir’s technology. Rhiannon Mihranian Osborne, an NHS doctor and Medact spokesperson, expressed relief that the webpages were removed. However, she questioned why NHS England spent years using shaky evidence to promote the alleged benefits of the Palantir software.
Last week, reports indicated that ministers planned to extend the Palantir deal following intense lobbying efforts. The US company has hired Labour peer Tom Watson as a full-time lobbyist. Watson recently wrote to Health Secretary Yvette Cooper, stating that Palantir wanted to help build Britain’s sovereign technological capability. In response to the reported plans, the health workers’ union Unison has called on ministers to end the contract instead.
Andrea Egan, the general secretary of Unison, told the Guardian that any decision to extend the deal would be completely unacceptable and a betrayal of staff and patients. She described Palantir as a sinister American surveillance firm and argued that allowing it to hold a vital NHS contract surrenders sovereignty over sensitive data while posing security risks. Palantir has countered that ending the contract would put politics above patients.
Several groups, including the Doctors Association UK, Medact, Amnesty UK, and Just Treatment, have written to Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Health Secretary Cooper. They are opposing the reported Labour plan to give Palantir a further two years to allow time for a transition to UK-based technology. The groups argue that the deal could be safely ended in 2027 using a termination assistance period to allow for a smooth transition. They warned that ministers risk appearing inconsistent if they plan for a future without Palantir while simultaneously handing the company two more years to embed itself further into the health service. NHS England did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.
