The cross-party Science, Innovation and Technology Committee warns that the UK’s increasing reliance on Palantir has created an ‘unacceptable point of weakness’.

It highlights concerns around value for money, transparency, public trust, and the long-term strategic risks of entrusting critical public infrastructure to a single overseas technology provider.

NHS Federated Data Platform

The report, titled Rewiring the state: delivering digital government, recommends that the Government ‘should commit to exercising the 2027 break clause in the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) contract’.

It goes on to recommend the Government ‘either develops an in-house replacement or seek an alternative developed by UK-owned and UK-based providers that are more compatible with UK values, and do not pursue either technical or contractual dependencies’.

The report called for a fully-costed exit plan for the FDP by the end of this year.

Poor value for money

Dr David Nicholl, DAUK committee member, said: “This is an excellent report and highlights the warnings that DAUK has been making for more than five years, that Palantir’s FDP provides poor value for money from a company with ethical values that are a million miles away from those of the NHS.

“The Government should publish an exit plan, and look at alternative providers that can deliver better outcomes for patients at less cost, safely, securely and ethically.”

DAUK has consistently raised concerns about the award of the £330 million FDP contract to Palantir. These include the risk of NHS dependency on a single supplier, uncertainty about long-term value for money, questions around transparency in procurement, and the impact of Palantir’s wider activities on public trust in NHS data systems.

Ignored warnings

Dr Steve Taylor, DAUK GP co-lead, added: “There is a growing consensus that Palantir should not be anywhere near public services, and in particular patient data in the NHS.

“DAUK and other groups have been saying this for years, yet governments have continued to ignore the warnings.

“Ministers are public servants first, they need to heed the warnings and use the break clause in 2027. Influence is being bought against the best interests of the public.”

Read the Rewiring the state: delivering digital government report in full.

We are a non-profit campaigning and lobbying organisation led by frontline doctors, for frontline doctors. We are volunteers and our collective aim is to give frontline workers a voice to be heard.

Please support our work by contributing to our crowd funder.

Speaking to John Pienaar on Times Radio, DAUK committee member Dr Nicholl said longstanding concerns about Palantir’s record remain.

Dr Nicholl, who works in Birmingham, highlighted worries about reported racial bias linked to Palantir’s work in the United States, warning that such issues could disproportionately affect diverse NHS communities.

He also challenged claims Palantir was essential to the UK’s Covid vaccine rollout, saying that Wales delivered vaccines faster without the company’s platform.

“There has been a lot of overselling,” he said.

Referencing a report in the British Medical Journal, Dr Nicholl said results of a pilot at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust used pandemic-peak baselines to exaggerate performance gains.

Listen to Dr Nicholl’s interview on our Instagram page.

We are a non-profit campaigning and lobbying organisation led by frontline doctors, for frontline doctors. We are volunteers and our collective aim is to give frontline workers a voice to be heard.

Please support our work by contributing to our crowd funder.

The briefing, titled Who controls our health data, was co-hosted by DAUK and was part of DAUK’s Our data, our NHS campaign.

It brought together MPs, clinicians, and patient organisations in what Dr David Nicholl, DAUK committee member who is leading the campaign, described as a ‘unified front’ on the future of NHS data.

Westminster briefing

Dr Nicholl said: “The briefing couldn’t have gone better – it was like political speed dating.

“There were MPs from across the political spectrum including from the Liberal Democrats, Labour, SNP, and independents, with the exception of Conservatives and Reform.

“It shows this issue is firmly on the radar of MPs.”

The NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) is a £330m contract awarded to US tech giant Palantir which is up for renewal next year.

The cross-party Westminster briefing was attended by Foxglove Legal, the BMA, Just Treatment, and Viscount Hanworth, and was sponsored by Liberal Democrat MP Martin Wrigley.

It came at an important moment, with a Westminster Hall debate on the issue expected next month.

Palantir contract

Dr Nicholl said MPs in attendance were keen to get a better understanding of the Palantir contract, what it means for patients and the NHS, and what future options are.

He said: “Some MPs didn’t understand why this had happened, but were very receptive.

“They appreciated getting our input, and hearing from patient organisations too. There was a sense of shared concern.”

With the contract due for renewal next year, DAUK is urging policymakers to reassess and consider alternatives.

Our Data, Our NHS campaign

DAUK has long campaigned against Palantir’s involvement in the NHS, citing concerns about data governance, transparency, and value for money.

We have argued that the Federated Data Platform has been oversold and fails to provide meaningful improvements over existing systems.

Dr Nicholl said: “The contract has under-delivered.

“Colleagues using the FDP don’t feel it’s value for money. It’s really oversold and replicates things that existing electronic patient records are already doing.”

UK-based alternatives

He added that the upcoming renewal represents a crucial opportunity to rethink the NHS’s digital strategy.

“We need to make sure this doesn’t happen again, and look at alternatives that are more UK-based, with fewer risks attached,” he said.

Visit the Our Data, Our NHS campaign page to learn more about the campaign and to contact your MP.

We are a non-profit campaigning and lobbying organisation led by frontline doctors, for frontline doctors. We are volunteers and our collective aim is to give frontline workers a voice to be heard.

Please support our work by contributing to our crowd funder.

The NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) is a £330m contract awarded to US tech giant Palantir which is up for renewal next year.

The briefing titled Who controls our health data? is co-hosted by DAUK and explores what happens when the contract comes up for renewal.

Cross-party briefing

DAUK will be joining Foxglove Legal, the BMA, Just Treatment, and Viscount Hanworth at the cross-party event on Monday 23 March, which will be hosted by Liberal Democrat MP Martin Wrigley.

DAUK has consistently challenged Palantir’s involvement in the NHSsince it first raised concerns five years ago.

In 2023, NHS England awarded Palantir the FDP contract valued at around £330 million, which was described at the time by DAUK as a ‘terrible deal’.

Dr David Nicholl, DAUK committee member, said: “The contract runs out next March, which means there’s a real window of opportunity to ask if this is really the way we want the health service to run.”

Public confidence

DAUK has also warned consistently that Palantir’s involvement is eroding public confidence in how the NHS handles patient data.

A DAUK-commissioned poll found 48% of adults would opt out of sharing their health data if Palantir manages it, a direct threat to the integrity of NHS datasets that clinicians and researchers depend on.

Despite the £330m price tag, fewer than a quarter of England’s hospital trusts are actively using the platform.

Dr Nicholl said: “Almost a third of those trusts that are using the platform, have got issues in terms of GDPR. That should prompt serious scrutiny.

Write to your MP

“I’ve yet to see any evidence that this is actually good value and a good use of public money.”

Now DAUK is encouraging people to write to their MP to ask them to attend the session so they can better understand the implications for patient data and public spending.

Visit the Our Data, Our NHS campaign page to learn more about the campaign and to contact your MP.

We are a non-profit campaigning and lobbying organisation led by frontline doctors, for frontline doctors. We are volunteers and our collective aim is to give frontline workers a voice to be heard.

Please support our work by contributing to our crowd funder.

Dr David Nicholl, DAUK committee member, said he feared hundreds of millions of pounds have been wasted on the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) at a time when frontline services were under unprecedented strain.

It follows a report in the Guardian that NHS officials warned in 2025 that public perception of Palantir would hinder the roll-out of the system.

Public perception

The Guardian reported: “By last summer fewer than half of health authorities in England had started using the technology amid opposition from the public and doctors.”

The report also referenced concerns raised by the BMA on behalf of its members about links between Palantir and the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Meanwhile, The Times reported on comments by investor Michael Burry that ‘Emperor Palantir has no clothes’.

DAUK has consistently challenged Palantir’s involvement in the NHS since it first raised concerns five years ago.

FDP contract

In 2023, NHS England awarded Palantir the FDP contract valued at around £330 million, which was described at the time by DAUK as a ‘terrible deal’.

Dr Nicholl said the size of the contract was ‘galling’.

“We spent hundreds of millions of pounds on this, which could have been used for direct patient care, when NHS England didn’t even complete the pilot study,” he said.

Waste of money

“It has been forced on trusts by NHS England. It feels like a spectacular waste of money.”

Dr Nicholl said DAUK had previously attempted to challenge the procurement process through the courts.

He questioned how the contract was allowed to proceed when, as early as 2019, senior civil servants were meeting Palantir executives.

Dr Nicholl said: “DAUK has been speaking about this for more than five years. Sadly, it feels like a case of we told you so.

Alternatives

“There were alternatives. British tech companies that could have helped solve the same problems yet, instead, we’re investing in a controversial US firm.

“I find it very upsetting when I think what we could have invested that money in,” he added.

We are a non-profit campaigning and lobbying organisation led by frontline doctors, for frontline doctors. We are volunteers and our collective aim is to give frontline workers a voice to be heard.

Please support our work by contributing to our crowd funder.

Spokesperson Dr David Nicholl has contributed to an article exploring the firm’s contracts with the UK Government.

The article in Middle East Eye highlighted the opposition of DAUK, the BMA and others in opposing the company’s contract for the NHS Federated Data Platform.

DAUK expressed ‘serious concerns’ at the time the contract was awarded.

Palantir NHS contract

Now Dr Nicholl has warned that the involvement of Palantir in the NHS was harming public confidence.

He said: “One of DAUK’s key missions is patient safety, and the involvement of Palantir in the NHS is having an adverse effect on patient trust in how their data is handled.”

Dr Nicholl added that there were also concerns about links between Palantir and the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Read the article in Middle East Eye in full.

DAUK’s committee members are all volunteers. They campaign and speak in the media about issues facing doctors in their own time. Please support our work by joining DAUK or donating to our GoFundMe.

Despite clear signs of a rapidly spreading global pandemic, which NHS staff watched with horror as the world locked down, the UK death toll was rising with no restrictions in place.

Contact tracing was abandoned in early March 2020, and large gatherings continued to take place up until the end of that same month.

The Covid Inquiry report reveals that if the government had introduced the first lockdown a week earlier, 23,000 people in England alone would not have died.

DAUK’s Protect the Frontline campaign, collaborating with Led by Donkeys called for adequate PPE for NHS staff.

PPE supply

Thousands of doctors signed up to our NHSPPE app giving daily reports on the PPE supply they had access to. We also raised our concerns that staff were being discouraged from speaking up about PPE in the press.

Dr Ellen Welch, DAUK co-chair and author of How the NHS coped with Covid-19, said: “Frontline staff were left woefully unprotected by a lack of PPE, and DAUK provided a voice for doctors to speak up about this when many felt gagged by their trusts.

“We all saw colleagues don homemade PPE to go to care for patients and two months later nearly 300 healthcare workers had died.

“DAUK welcomes the recommendations of the inquiry and hopes lessons have been learned around the key theme of preparedness.

“Future pandemics will come and it would be an insult to those who lost their lives, or continue to live with long Covid, if we did not.”

Covid Airborne Transmission Alliance

DAUK is a member of the Covid-19 Airborne Transmission Alliance (CATA), which gave testimony as part of the inquiry about how UK healthcare officials systemically denied overwhelming scientific evidence that Covid-19 was airborne.

Watch CATA chair Dr Barry Jones giving evidence here.

Dr David Nicholl, consultant neurologist and DAUK committee member, said: “I was thinking how much of a media hullabaloo there was, rightly, over the Iraq War when there were 179 UK deaths, yet how quickly there has been a concerted action to move along from the pandemic by the media.

“There were more than 200,000 deaths from Covid, including hundreds of healthcare workers. Some like Boris Johnson clearly don’t want to learn.”

Dr Welch added: “As another winter takes hold, NHS staff approach it this year without the protection of the covid vaccine.

Covid Inquiry report

“The Covid-19 Inquiry report should serve as a reminder to those in power of the damage wielded by this virus, and urge them to start implementing measures now to protect staff and patients, such as vaccinations, masks, ventilation to name a simple few.

“Politicians may want to forgot this saga, but NHS staff never will.”

Dr Alison George, a GP and member of the DAUK GP committee, said: “NHS staff have been totally excluded from the vaccination programme and the cost to purchase one privately ranges from £95 to £99.

“There is no clear explanation for such an irresponsible and short-sighted decision.

Long Covid

“Added to the physical effects on individual staff of acute and long Covid, it is likely to lead to increased staff sickness, cancellation of procedures and treatments and higher rates of nosocomial Covid.

“It is also worth considering the impact of the message this sends to staff and the public about the need for any mitigations against Covid.”

DAUK committee members are volunteers and campaign about issues facing doctors in their own time. Please support our work by joining DAUK or donating to our GoFundMe.

Dr Nicholl is encouraging Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK) members and supporters, as well as MPs and those with an interest in whistleblowing to attend events in Westminster as part of Whistleblower Awareness Week.

Whistleblowers UK has organised two events which may be of specific interest to DAUK members.

The first is titled Meet the whistleblowers: Exploring the issues and agreeing the solutions. It takes place from 1pm to 2.30pm on Wednesday 23 October.

The second is called Duty of candour and whistleblowing, and is being held from 10am to 11.30am on Thursday 24 October. Both events are in House of Lords Committee Room 4A.

These events will be an opportunity to meet people who have blown the whistle and hear how their experience changed their lives.

Lord Berkeley, vice chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Whistleblowing, will chair a discussion on the problems with existing legislation and why it does not work, what needs to change and why they support the Whistleblowing Bill.

Dr Nicholl said: “Being able to highlight concerns and wrongdoings in the NHS on matters of public interest is absolutely crucial to the service.

“Failings can affect patient care, staff safety, and cost the NHS huge sums of money in claims.

“The freedom to speak up for staff and patient safety is vital to achieving a just culture in the NHS.

“But despite the clear benefits of whistleblowing, all too often those who speak out do so in spite of the fear of reprisal from employers.

Independent Office for the Whistleblower

“This is why we need an Independent Office for the Whistleblower and reform of the law with the new Whistleblowing Bill.”

For more information about these events and to book a free place, click here.

Finally we would encourage DAUK members and supporters to contact their Members of Parliament to attend via https://www.writetothem.com

Support the work of DAUK by donating to our Go Fund Me.

It follows the vote by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) to oppose the role of physician associates (PAs) working in general practice, which has been welcomed by DAUK’s GP Committee.

DAUK is proud to announce its robust support for Anaesthetists United in their legal case against the GMC, which addresses critical issues surrounding the regulation of PAs and AAs.

This backing includes a £30,000 contribution to their crowdfunding efforts, underscoring the medical profession’s deep-seated concerns over patient safety and professional standards.

Now it is calling on royal colleges to also give their support to the legal challenge.

Why DAUK supports this legal challenge

DAUK shares the grave concerns that the current regulatory framework fails to adequately safeguard patient safety and maintain the high standards of medical practice that the British public expects and deserves.

Ms Helen Fernandes, DAUK chair, said: “The GMC’s approach to regulating PAs and AAs is fundamentally flawed.

“It risks blurring the lines between fully qualified doctors and support staff, potentially misleading patients and compromising care quality.

“We categorically back Anaesthetists United in demanding clear, enforceable guidance on the scope of practice for these roles.”

United front

DAUK’s significant donation to the Anaesthetists United legal fund is not an isolated action but part of a broader united front in the medical community.

Recent events, including the Royal College of General Practitioners’ revised stance on PA regulation and the Emergency General Meeting at the Royal College of Physicians, demonstrate that concerns over these issues are widespread and deeply felt.

Dr Matt Kneale, DAUK committee member and former chair, said: “The strength of feeling across the medical profession cannot be overstated.

“These are not isolated incidents of discontent but a clear signal that the current trajectory of medical regulation and workforce planning is deeply troubling to those on the front lines of patient care.”

Call to action

In light of these developments, DAUK calls upon all royal colleges to take decisive action:

1. Contribute financially to the Anaesthetists United crowdfunding campaign.

2. Publicly back the medical profession’s stance on this critical issue.

3. Prioritise patient safety by advocating for standards to be set by the regulator, not by individual NHS trusts or GP practices.

Dr Kneale said: “The variation in standards across different healthcare settings has already led to concerning safety events.

“It’s time for our professional bodies to unite in demanding a consistent, high-quality approach to regulation that puts patient safety first.”

Dr David Nicholl, fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and DAUK committee member, said: “As a former member of RCP Council, I would like to see the RCP backing this case.

“The RCP has already publicly stated that there should be national scope which the GMC are refusing to do.

“It’s time for all royal colleges to put their money where their mouth is and support this legal challenge against the GMC’s intransigence. This is about safe patient care.”

RCGP vote

Meanwhile, DAUK’s GP Committee has welcomed a vote by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) to oppose a role for physician associates (PAs) from working in general practice.

The RCGP’s UK Council voted 61 per cent in favour of opposing the role of PAs working in general practice, with 31 disagreeing and eight per cent abstaining.

Dr Ellen Welch, DAUK vice chair and member of the DAUK GP committee, said: “We agree with the RCGP Council’s decision to end the further expansion of PAs in general practice.

“This is not about PAs as individuals but about patient safety.

“They should not have been allowed to consult undifferentiated patients and, in our view, it was always unsafe for patients.

“The complexity of patient care, the needs of patients, and the safety of patient care must always be a priority.

“GPs are highly-skilled clinicians who have trained for 10 years to have the depth and breadth of knowledge essential to care for the complexity of patients seen in general practice.

“It is essential that patients are able to consult with GPs, therefore we urge NHS England and the Government to make the retention and recruitment of GPs a priority.”

Looking forward

DAUK remains committed to supporting initiatives that protect patients and the integrity of the medical profession. We will continue to monitor the progress of the Anaesthetists United case closely and are ready to take further action as necessary.

For more information on how to support this crucial legal challenge, please visit the Anaesthetists United CrowdJustice page.

Support the work of DAUK by signing up as a member.

The doctors have written an open letter to Layla Moran MP following the findings of an independent inquiry which found serious governance failures at the Royal College of Physicians (RCP). The letter has also been sent to the Health Secretary Wes Streeting and to several members of the House of Lords.

The King’s Fund carried out the review into the RCP’s handling of an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) called to discuss PAs.

Its report found ‘a range of collective failures in leadership’, ‘a clear lack of accountability and due process’, and ‘a pervasive lack of trust and confidence in the College’s governance’.

Parliament ‘misadvised’

Now 28 eminent doctors, including Dr Nicholl, have written to Ms Moran ‘to express our considered view that Parliament was misadvised when the Royal College of Physicians of London was cited as approving of the Anaesthesia Associates and Physicians Associates Order earlier this year’.

Their letter continues: “We, the undersigned, were in the process of highlighting our concerns about the implications of the order to the college leadership on patient safety prior to the debate on the order.

“Our attempts to do this through an EGM were delayed inappropriately. A recent Kings Fund report into the college identified a ‘collective failure in leadership’ in the college’s approach to these occupations, with the Kings Fund noting that ‘had the EGM been held before that point’ (i.e. of the statutory instrument being debated), ‘the concerns raised would have been fed into the parliamentary process and may have affected the passage of the legislation’.

“When the EGM was finally held, an overwhelming majority of Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of London rejected the college’s previous approach to physician associates, and the college is now working on ways to ensure that the care provided by this group of healthcare workers is safe for patients.

Concerns

“Our concerns are mirrored by other professional bodies and patient groups.

“We would welcome the opportunity to set out our concerns to members of your committee, either in writing or in person, and look forward to hearing from you in due course.”

Responding to a post about the letter on X, formerly known as Twitter, Ms Moran said: “The Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee doesn’t constitute until we have members, which won’t be for at least another month – and then we need to get up to speed.

“But once we do, we will start working on our programme of works. So please have patience with us.”

Read the letter to Ms Moran in full.

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