- NHS data chief says Palantir is delivering ‘outstanding results’
- Palantir contractors have been given access to data of 1.5 million NHS staff
- NHS workers are concerned about the ethical concerns of Palantir’s NHS contract
UK NHS data chief Ming Tang has claimed Palantir is delivering “outstanding results” despite the company’s rocky reputation.
Palantir has developed the Federated Data Platform (FDP) as part of its £330 million contract with the NHS to help the government “reinvent the NHS” through more efficient waiting list management, appointment allocation, diagnoses, and treatment personalization.
But NHS staff have raised concerns surrounding personal data protection, misuse of the FDP’s centralized database, and the implications of Palantir’s growing involvement in the UK’s public sector.
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Is Palantir improving NHS services?
In its involvement with the NHS, Palantir has said the FDP has “helped deliver 110,000 additional operations, a 15.3% reduction in discharge delays and a 6.8% increase” in cancer diagnoses within 28 days of referral.
Tang further attested the “outstanding results” achieved by Palantir, stating that the NHS is looking to achieve “maximum product penetration” of the FDP’s tools and software across a core group of hospitals over the next 12 months.
An internal memo shared by Tang, seen by the Financial Times, also addressed Palantir’s reputation, stating, “While media and campaign groups continue to raise questions about our technology supplier, the programme is focused on the evidence: the FDP is delivering.” Tang added that her team needs to “maintain our focus” in the face of growing concerns over Palantir’s involvement with the NHS.
Palantir’s tarnished reputation stems from the use of its ImmigrationOS and Enhanced Leads Identification & Targeting for Enforcement (ELITE) software by US ICE agents in the deportation of immigrants to the US arriving illegally. Multiple US citizens have also been swept up in arrests across multiple cities in the US.
Concerns have also been raised about Palantir’s use of medical data to track and target suspected illegal migrants in real time. In the UK, the Reform party has promised to create a UK version of ICE should the party gain power at the next election, meaning that Palantir’s involvement within the UK public sector could assist in Reform’s plans for mass deportations.
Why are NHS staff concerned about Palantir access?
Further concerns have been raised by NHS staff about Palantir’s involvement with the NHS after insiders revealed to The Guardian that at least six Palantir contractors had been given NHS.net email accounts, which additionally provides them with access to a database of up to 1.5 million NHS staff. The database contains staff details including role, location, workplace, email address, and mobile number.
It isn’t unusual for contractors to be provided with access to databases such as these, and access to staff data is likely necessary for the effective deployment of the FDP – but staff have taken issue with Palantir being granted access to personal information without their consent, with some refusing to use the FDP all together.
Other staff have revealed that Palantir staff attended virtual Microsoft Teams meetings using NHS email accounts without revealing who they worked for.
A spokesperson for Palantir said, “Our role is to provide software. How that software is used is entirely under the control of the NHS with data only able to be processed in accordance with their strict instructions.” NHS email policy states that access can be granted to “independent sector organisations that provide health and social care services nationally.”
An NHS spokesperson said, “All suppliers, including Palantir, and their staff operate only under NHS instruction, with all data access remaining under NHS control and governed by strict contractual confidentiality obligations.”
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benedict.collins@futurenet.com (Benedict Collins)
