NHS trusts turn away Palantir data platform
Palantir patient data tech rejected by many NHS trusts in England
Saturday, 17 October 2026
Photo by Centre for Ageing Better on Unsplash
Warm-up
- What public services in your country rely most on data?
- When should a public body replace an IT system?
- What makes people trust or distrust a technology supplier?
Vocabulary
- platform
- A digital system that supports connected tools and data.
- effectiveness
- How well something works and achieves results.
- duplicative
- Needlessly repeating what another system already does.
- revert
- To go back to a previous state or system.
- transparency
- Clear, open sharing of information so people can see decisions.
- interoperability
- Different systems working together through shared standards.
- procurement
- The process of buying goods or services for an organisation.
- lobbyist
- A person paid to influence government decisions.
Reading
Listen to this story
British EnglishMany NHS trusts in England are declining to use Palantir's £330m Federated Data Platform, saying it brings little advantage over tools already in place. Not only did a few sites report gains in waiting-list management, but FOI responses show 16 trusts and boards do not use the platform, some after trials that reverted to local systems. Examples range from Greater Manchester's care board calling the system duplicative and retrograde, to University Hospitals Birmingham seeing limited benefit. Others, including trusts in Dorset and North Midlands, said existing solutions were sufficient.
The disclosures, gathered by Medact and posted on the transparency site WhatDoTheyKnow, come as Andy Burnham's government weighs a break clause in the seven-year deal. Palantir's senior vice-president and lobbyist Tom Watson argues rivals had a fair chance in open procurement. Meanwhile, two parliamentary committees have urged ending the contract, and Martin Wrigley says the NHS should prioritise interoperability over a single supplier. Public protests add pressure, amid concern about Palantir's wider associations and the platform's effectiveness.
Comprehension
- How much is the NHS data platform contract worth?
- How many trusts and boards said they do not use the platform?
- What did some sites say the platform improved?
- Which decision is the government currently considering?
- What alternative does Martin Wrigley say the NHS should prioritise?
Grammar focus
Adding emphasis - inversion with negative adverbials
Place a negative adverbial (Never, Seldom, Little, Not only, etc.) at the start, then invert: auxiliary + subject + verb. With Not only, invert only the first clause. (Examples constructed.)
- Not only did some trusts trial it, but they reverted to local systems.
- Seldom do boards report clear gains beyond local systems.
Grammar exercise
Choose the correct option in each sentence.
- Never (have some trusts / some trusts have) adopted it.
- Seldom (boards do report / do boards report) clear gains.
- Little (did disclosures praise / disclosures did praise) it.
- Not only (two committees did / did two committees) urge an end.
- Rarely (do rivals win / rivals do win) when they don't bid.
Discussion
- Should public bodies accept small gains if trust is low? Why?
- What evidence would show a health data platform is effective?
- Is one national system better than interoperable local systems?
- How should protests influence procurement choices in health?
Vocabulary, reading, and exercises with instant feedback
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