North Yorkshire Council urges NHS to be ‘careful’ over use of Palantir's controversial data platform
The NHS has been urged to consider ‘carefully’ the use of Palantir technology by the leader of North Yorkshire Council.
Concerns have been raised about the NHS’s use of Palantir’s controversial data integration platform in Humber and North Yorkshire amid calls for a “freeze” until a Government review has concluded.
Cllr Rich Maw said he was concerned by the NHS’s use of US billionaire Peter Thiel’s ‘Foundry’, which was awarded the contract to deliver the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) in November 2023.
A cross-party parliamentary committee recently said Palantir shouldn’t play such a significant role in the UK public sector and stressed that it’s not the only company capable of providing the ‘middleware’ required by public bodies.
MPs have urged the Government to exercise the 2027 break clause in the NHS Federated Data Platform Contract with Palantir and either develop an in-house replacement or seek an alternative UK provider.
However, the leader of North Yorkshire Council, Cllr Carl Les, refused to join Cllr Maw in “calling on the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board to freeze any further integration of the FDP until that review has concluded and its findings have been made public”.
Speaking at a meeting on Wednesday, July 15, Cllr Les said: “No, I won’t [join you].
“Many health organisations value Palantir.
"The results are being evaluated and the Government will decide whether we continue with this, as will the ICB, if the Government allows them to continue.
"However, I am happy to ask them to consider this matter carefully.”
The NHS Humber and North Yorkshire has said that while implementation is not being mandated, all trusts and ICBs are being asked to provide plans for how they will maximise the benefits of the NHS FDP for their patients.
It added: “Demand is high, so we are asking trusts to sign up so that we can schedule them into the overall delivery timeline.”
There has been a backlash against the national guidance, the British Medical Journal reported in April, with a coalition of human rights, health and patient organisations urging every hospital in England to disobey an NHS directive to use the software.
Similar concerns have been raised elsewhere in Europe, where the Spanish Government told state-backed firms to avoid signing new contracts with Palantir over security fears.
However, Louis Mosley, the UK boss of Palantir, has defended the company over calls for more scrutiny and said he was confident the firm was “delivering for patients”.