NHS England has deleted a claim from its website stating that 137 hospital trusts are benefiting from Palantir’s AI-powered federated data platform (FDP). The removal followed reports that 29 of those trusts were not using all or most of the technology, with some stating they were not live on the system at all. The original list had claimed these bodies were "realising benefits" from the platform, which was designed to improve patient outcomes, boost operating theatre efficiency, and speed up bed discharges.
The decision to take down the list follows scrutiny from the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR), which is examining whether NHS claims make the system appear more embedded in the health service than it is in practice. The OSR previously warned NHS England that it lacked evidence to support claims that the technology had helped deliver more than 100,000 extra operations. A less detailed page remains on the NHS England website, stating that early users were "already seeing real results – reduced admin, faster patient pathways, and more time for care."
Labour MP Ben Coleman, a member of the Commons health and social care select committee, described the situation as "troubling" and warned that such inaccuracies could damage public trust. Coleman argued that the latest overclaim could discourage hospitals from using the FDP and threaten its viability. He has called for the NHS to drop Palantir in favor of an open platform that allows British tech companies to build tools.
Palantir, a US company founded by Peter Thiel, was hired to manage vast quantities of medical data, but the contract has faced intense opposition from campaigners, MPs, and doctors' unions. Unison general secretary Andrea Egan criticized the company as a "sinister American surveillance firm" and stated that extending the deal would be "completely unacceptable and a betrayal of staff and patients."
While Palantir argued that ending the contract would be "putting politics above patients," various groups including the Doctors Association UK and Medact have advocated for the deal to be ended. These groups suggest the contract could be terminated in 2027 using a "termination assistance period" to allow trusts to transition away from the technology. The move to remove the list comes as ministers weigh whether to extend Palantir’s £330m contract to 2029.
