More than a dozen National Health Service trusts across England are actively rejecting Palantir’s patient data technology, concluding that existing local software handles clinical workloads better or offers equal functionality without the baggage of a controversial U.S. vendor. Freedom of information responses reviewed by The Guardian reveal that at least 16 trusts and health boards have declared they do not use the £330m federated data platform following its introduction in March 2024.
Trusts Reject the National Platform for Local Alternatives
The pushback spans the country from Gateshead to Truro, highlighting a widening split between Whitehall’s centralized procurement strategy and the practical realities on hospital floors. The University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust stated it would not use the platform primarily because it does not appear to provide functionality over and above what we have already.
Dorset HealthCare University Trust confirmed it will not adopt or go live with the software, while Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust reported having no plans to implement it.
$PLTR UK NHS chief champions Palantir’s 'outstanding results’ in England, pushes for deeper rollout despite growing staff concernsIn its involvement with the NHS, Palantir has said the FDP has “helped deliver 110,000 additional operations, a 15.3% reduction in discharge delays… pic.twitter.com/tYbcqvAChU”
Other major regional bodies share this assessment. Greater Manchester’s care board dismissed the Palantir system as duplicative
and retrograde,
and a Suffolk trust noted that alternative systems supersede the FDP’s capabilities. Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust reported finding no FDP tool that offered significant advantages over existing capabilities, and University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust—serving more than two million people—cited limited expected benefits over current solutions.
These disclosures were gathered by Medact, a health campaign opposing Palantir’s role in the health service, and published on the transparency platform WhatDoTheyKnow. Dr. Rhiannon Mihranian Osborne, a spokesperson for Medact, argued that the freedom of information data proves safe alternatives exist and that the government has no excuse to extend the contract.
Political Friction and Rising Public Opt-Outs
Liberal Democrat committee member Martin Wrigley argued that the responses from NHS boards confirm central directives fail in healthcare, asserting that Palantir’s system is just not that good
and that the company over-promises and under-deliver.
Public resistance has also intensified away from clinical boards. Brixton Buzz reported that Lambeth Council voted to demand an end to the contract, joining local authorities in Manchester, Sheffield, Coventry, and Rotherham. Meanwhile, Distilled Post noted that Dr. Nicola Byrne, the National Data Guardian for health and social care, warned ministers that nearly 100,000 patients have opted out of data sharing this year, a spike coinciding with intense media scrutiny of Palantir. Byrne cautioned that rising opt-out rates threaten the quality of national health data assets used for research and planning.
Palantir Defends the Software Amid Mounting Scrutiny
Palantir has strongly defended the platform, accusing campaigners of slanted analysis. A company spokesperson maintained that the FDP is objectively successful, pointing to an official green delivery rating and ministerial statements claiming the program exceeds its benefits forecast.
