The National Health Service (NHS) has reported slow progress in rolling out Palantir’s Federated Data Platform (FDP) across England, with adoption rates remaining below internal goals. According to details provided by NHS England to the Financial Times, only 28 out of 42 integrated care boards have begun using the platform, which consolidates disparate data sources to improve operational efficiency. Despite this, the health service exceeded its target of enrolling 71 out of 215 trusts before the end of 2023.
The FDP, a £330m contract awarded to Palantir in November 2023 under a seven-year agreement, aims to centralise critical data from systems scattered across 42 care regions. This includes information on bed availability, waiting lists, and medical supplies. The procurement of the FDP has proven controversial, with critics arguing that the government favoured Palantir’s bid to build most of the platform to the exclusion of other legitimate contenders for the contract.
Critics round on tech firm for lack of transparency, defence background
The platform’s rollout has also faced criticism over data governance and concerns about Palantir’s background in defence and intelligence. Minutes from a board meeting at the Royal Devon and Exeter hospital cited legal questions and concerns about the lack of local control over data within the platform. Meanwhile, the Good Law Project has filed legal action against the government, questioning the transparency of the contract awarded to Palantir.
Despite reservations, early adopters have reported benefits. South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, one of the pilot sites, noted a 37% reduction in hospital stays for patients ready to be discharged. An NHS England analysis found that hospitals using the FDP performed an average of 114 additional inpatient procedures in operating theatres each month after implementation.
Ming Tang, chief data and analytics officer at NHS England, highlighted the platform’s operational benefits, stating that over 100 NHS organisations have adopted it within the first year.
The rollout’s pace has drawn political scrutiny. Before Labour’s election victory in July, then-shadow health secretary Wes Streeting criticised what he described as the programme’s slow adoption rate. In a directive issued the same month, NHS England instructed trusts to finalise adoption plans within two years and submit implementation timelines. However, some trusts remain hesitant. A senior figure at a London trust indicated plans to delay joining the programme until its 2026 deadline, citing unclear benefits.
The FDP, first conceived in 2021, represents a significant overhaul of the NHS’s data infrastructure. NHS England’s medical director, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, described the initiative as a means of consolidating operational data to enhance patient care and reduce administrative inefficiencies. The programme is being delivered in collaboration with partners including Accenture, PwC, NECS, and Carnall Farrar, with AWS and Microsoft providing cloud services.
Palantir’s ongoing relationship with the NHS has faced scrutiny. The company’s ties to the NHS date back to the COVID-19 pandemic, during which it provided analytics support. However, questions have been raised about the transparency of its contracts, as well as criticism of public attitudes toward the NHS by Palantir’s founder, Peter Thiel.
Read more: Why can’t the NHS quit Palantir?
