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Amnesty Backs Medact Call for NHS Trusts to Shun Palantir Data Platform

Palantir rejects warnings of rights harms, stating the NHS controls all data use under law.

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 23: A general view of the office building where tech company Palantir has its UK headquarters, on November 23, 2023 in London, England. Palantir, founded by US billionaire Peter Thiel, previously played a key role in building the Covid dashboard and supporting the vaccine rollout in the UK. Concerns have been raised about Palantir's past human rights controversies, particularly regarding worries about the potential exploitation and monetisation of patient data. Notably, the company has faced scrutiny for working with the Department of Homeland Security in the U.S. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Overview

  • Medact published a 12 March briefing urging trusts and integrated care boards to decline the Federated Data Platform and calling for NHS England to end the Palantir contract at its February 2027 review, with Amnesty International backing the move and urging divestment.
  • The briefing argues that consolidating NHS datasets on Palantir’s system could ease access to patient information by the Home Office or police, citing the company’s work with US immigration agency ICE and wider human rights concerns.
  • Palantir counters that any such use would be illegal and breach its contract, saying the NHS dictates how the software is used and pointing to reported gains including 100,000 additional operations, a 12% reduction in discharge delays, and 675,000 patients removed from waiting lists.
  • The FDP remains optional and not fully operational across England, with some NHS analysts and leaders expressing reluctance to use it, and Manchester’s integrated care board previously deferring adoption.
  • The contract faces added scrutiny following reports that a senior London trust chair urged colleagues to add more data to the FDP while being paid to advise Palantir, and NHS England has been asked to respond.