Thank you so much to everyone who has contacted me in recent weeks to raise concerns about the NHS contract with Palantir.
As may be aware, the Palantir contract was agreed under the previous government in 2023. The current government has stated that the NHS operates to the highest standards of data security, and that the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) is built with robust security and privacy controls. User activity within the FDP is logged and monitored by both Palantir’s UK security team and the NHS Cyber Security Operations Centre to detect and respond to any malicious activity.
I understand that access within the FDP is carefully controlled. Users only get the minimum level of access they need, and only if they are authorised to use the data for an approved purpose. All access permissions are checked, monitored, and reviewed regularly. Ministers have issued assurances that Palantir does not own or sell any NHS data.
As you may know, the FDP contract also includes audit rights for NHS England. This means NHS England can review and confirm that the platform and its providers are meeting all contractual and legal requirements. Ministers say that the FDP is helping to join-up patient care, increase hospital productivity, speed up cancer diagnosis and ensure thousands of additional patients can be treated each month.
All that said, I know many people are – quite rightly – asking questions about Palantir’s contract with the NHS. The government is due to review the contract later this year and I completely agree that it should be subject to very careful scrutiny .
Thank you once again for taking the time to get in touch.