Palantir AI tech unused or little used by 29 NHS trusts said to be benefiting from it
More than two dozen NHS hospital trusts listed as benefiting from Palantir's AI medical data platform are not using the technology, contradicting the health service's claims.
The revelation emerged from over 100 freedom of information requests obtained by Medact, a medical charity campaigning against Palantir's NHS involvement. While NHS England states that 137 trusts are 'live' with the federated data platform (FDP), 29 of those described as 'realising benefits' responded that they are either not using the system or its applications. The £330m contract has faced increasing scrutiny as the gap between NHS claims and hospital practices widens.
Trusts contradict NHS claims
Several hospital trusts explicitly denied using the Palantir technology. Epsom and St Helier stated it was 'not using FDP at the moment', while Kent and Medway said the trust 'has been focused on other priorities … the FDP is not currently live'. Mersey Care confirmed they had 'not yet gone live with the FDP', and Nottingham University Hospitals noted 'no implementation timeline has been agreed'.
University Hospitals of North Midlands was even more definitive, stating: 'FDP is not live. We do not intend to roll it out in the future.' These contradictions were described as 'very misleading' by one senior health official, raising questions about how the NHS is measuring and reporting on the technology's adoption.
Political pressure mounts
The controversy has intensified political pressure on health secretary Yvette Cooper, with MPs and campaigners calling for the contract to be terminated. Chi Onwurah, chair of the Commons science and technology committee, demanded the government activate the 2027 break clause and launch an open competition for a UK-owned supplier to handle patient records.
If many NHS trusts don't see the value of the FDP, serious questions need to be asked about whether the hype surrounding Palantir's products matches reality.
Palantir defends contract
Palantir has mounted a vigorous defense of its NHS contract, with UK and Europe CEO Louis Mosley accusing critics of 'Palantir Derangement Syndrome' and warning that ending the contract would be 'putting politics above patients'. The company has hired Labour's former deputy leader Tom Watson as a senior lobbyist to counter mounting criticism.
In response to the Guardian's findings, Palantir highlighted claimed benefits including 117,000 additional operations, a 14.3% reduction in discharge delays, and a 5.6% improvement in cancer diagnosis times. However, NHS England previously conceded it could not prove cause and effect for these claims, prompting an investigation by the Office for Statistics Regulation.
Transparency concerns
Marc Farr, chair of the NHS Chief Data and Analytics Officers Network, expressed concern about the discrepancy between reported benefits and actual usage. 'It is crucial for public support,' he said, 'that benefits are reported accurately, transparently and in a way that can be properly verified.' Medact spokesperson Dr Rhiannon Mihranian Osborne accused the government of using 'flawed claims' to justify the contract.
The controversy comes as NHS England faces questions about how it defines 'realising benefits,' with some trusts using only back-office functions rather than patient care applications. The health service insists nearly 140 trusts have reported benefits from the platform's tools, but the FOI findings suggest these claims may not reflect the reality on the ground.
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