UK health minister reviews potential axe of £330m Palantir contract
The UK government is considering canceling a major data platform deal amid rising patient opt-outs and questions over the US company's foreign operations.
James Frith, the health innovation minister, has raised concerns about trust in Palantir following data showing tens of thousands of NHS patients withdrew consent for research. In two months from mid-May to mid-July, 60,000 additional people opted out of sharing their medical information under the national data opt-out mechanism. Frith wrote to Layla Moran, chair of the Commons health committee, highlighting the risk this mistrust poses to patient willingness to share data. The government is currently deciding whether to terminate Palantir's seven-year contract, valued at £330 million, which operates a federated data platform aimed at improving efficiency and patient outcomes. Physicians and patient advocacy groups are urging Labour to use a break clause in the agreement. They cite the company's work with the Israeli military and Donald Trump's ICE immigration agency as reasons for lacking value for money support. Conversely, Palantir supporters claim its technology reduced NHS surgery waiting lists. A company spokesperson stated it enabled 110,000 additional operations across trusts while recording a 15% reduction in discharge delays for long-stay patients.
