Health innovation minister James Frith has voiced concerns regarding public "mistrust" of the US defence and health tech company Palantir, citing its potential impact on patients' willingness to share data with the NHS.
This comes as new figures reveal tens of thousands of patients have withdrawn their data from use in research projects. Between mid-May and mid-July, an additional 60,000 people opted out of sharing their private medical information via the national data opt-out mechanism.
The government is currently reviewing Palantir's £330m contract to operate the NHS's federated data platform, which aims to enhance efficiency and patient outcomes. Mr Frith indicated a shift in policy, stating that NHS trusts are not required to use the platform and may prefer alternatives, a change from a previous stance suggesting mandatory use.
Doctors and patients' groups are urging the government to activate a break clause in Palantir's seven-year contract. They have raised questions about the company's value for money and its work with the Israeli military and Donald Trump's ICE immigration agency.
Palantir and its supporters contend that its AI-driven technology has contributed to reducing NHS waiting lists for surgery. A company spokesperson stated that trusts using their technology have recorded 110,000 additional operations, a 15% reduction in discharge delays for long-stay patients, and a 6.8% improvement in cancer diagnosis within 28 days. NHS England has reported similar figures but noted it could not establish cause and effect, with the government's statistics watchdog currently investigating the data.