Doctors not using Palantir platform despite signing up, says HSCC chair

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By Sarah Lowden

Clinicians are actively choosing not to use the NHS federated data platform because it is run by Palantir, the chair of the Health and Social Care Committee has said.

Layla Moran MP said there is concern among medical royal colleges and individuals about using it because of its use by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

At a one-off session of the Health and Social Care Committee on Tuesday, Preet Kaur Gill, parliamentary under-secretary of state for health innovation and safety, said: “That is not factual, because 139 trusts are live, 170 have signed up.”

Moran replied: “Both those things can be true; it can be true that all those trusts have signed up, and also that there is huge disquiet among some of the royal colleges, and also individuals who have contacted this committee saying that they don’t want to use it.”

Gill said: “The NHS cannot operate a procurement system based on political preference or opinion, and at the end of the day, any supplier has got to operate on the basis of evidence, capability, value for money, compliance with UK and international law, and whilst there may be allegations, and whilst there may be some concerns, I have got to focus and balance about patient outcomes and transformation for the NHS.”