Palantir deal ‘could slash NHS waiting lists by a million’
Palantir deal ‘could slash NHS waiting lists by a million’
Laura DonnellyThu, June 4, 2026 at 8:00 PM UTC
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More than a million patients could come off NHS waiting lists under a controversial £330m data deal with Palantir, the US tech giant.
NHS figures seen by The Telegraph show hospitals using the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP), run under a contract led by Palantir, have achieved major increases in theatre use, faster cancer diagnoses and sharp reductions in delayed discharges.
The memo shows trusts which pioneered the system have typically increased theatre utilisation by about 12 per cent.
If replicated nationally, that could mean around 1.5 million extra operations a year by the end of the seven-year contract.
The analysis also found trusts using the platform cut delayed discharges of long-stay patients by 15 per cent. So far, almost 300,000 patients being sent home from hospital have benefited from the streamlined processes, NHS data show.
The findings come despite pressure from Labour MPs, unions and campaigners to strip Palantir of its NHS contract over concerns about its work with the Israeli military and US immigration authorities.
Earlier this week, the Labour-led science, innovation and technology committee warned Britain had become too reliant on US technology firms, leaving the public sector "at the mercy of foreign actors".
The committee, chaired by Dame Chi Onwurah, urged ministers to consider triggering a break clause in the NHS contract from 2027.
The criticism follows attacks by Zack Polanski, the Green Party leader, and opposition from unions, including the British Medical Association and Unison, over Palantir's work with Israel and the US.
Writing for The Telegraph, Louis Mosley, the chief executive of Palantir UK, said: "To cancel a working public contract on ideology rather than results is to make patients and the public pay the price.
"Recommending that ministers tear up the contract in February 2027 – months away – without naming a credible replacement is reckless. Would those MPs tell their constituents: because we dislike the way a foreign government uses similar software, your operation will be delayed?"
Mr Mosley said it was not for Palantir to decide which government policies it endorsed.
"I do not want to live in a world where unelected tech bosses get to decide which lawful government policies may be delivered."
Police forces across England and Wales have signed a £9m deal with Palantir to run the national firearms database.
The contract, covering all 43 police forces including the Metropolitan Police, comes despite Sir Sadiq Khan previously blocking a separate £50m agreement with the company for Scotland Yard.
NHS waiting lists for England stand at about seven million cases, representing six million patients.
The FDP system, built under a contract led by Palantir, allows hospitals to share and analyse data more efficiently, helping trusts make better use of staff, operating theatres and beds.
So far, trusts using the platform have delivered more than 110,000 extra procedures, with targets for a further 100,000 operations by March 2027.
Steve Barclay – the health secretary in the previous Tory government when the deal was struck in November 2023 – said those invested in the status quo must not be allowed to "exercise a veto over innovation".
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"People, as both taxpayers and NHS patients, expect the NHS to increase efficiency and get the most out of every pound spent," Mr Barclay said.
"The rapid adoption of new technology is the only way that the NHS can meet rising demand, and this analysis shows it was the right call to protect the tech budget and focus on data, even in the face of huge demands elsewhere. These investments will continue to deliver benefits for years to come.
"What is vital now is that we see technology rolled out more widely to deliver the full benefit, and not allow those invested in the status quo to exercise a veto over innovation."
Steve Barclay says those against Palantir must not be able to 'exercise a veto over innovation' - John Lawrence
Andrew Griffith, the shadow business secretary, said: "The visceral hostility towards the private sector held by many Labour MPs is frankly dangerous.
"Whether it's opposing Palantir AI that can help shorten waiting times, or criticising supermarkets for non-existent price gouging, we've a Government of student politicians when instead they should focus on improving public services and economic growth."
Baroness Coffey, the Tory peer and former health secretary, said: "Improving healthy outcomes for patients helped by using Palantir tech should be supported strongly, rather than the hesitation and opposition of the Luddites in the Labour Party and unions."
Currently around one in six hospital beds – approximately 13,000 in total – is occupied by patients medically fit for discharge.
Andrew Griffith says the hostility from some Labour MPs to the private sector is 'dangerous' - Anthony Devlin/Bloomberg
The memo by Ming Tang, then chief digital officer for the NHS, which was sent to senior executives in late March, revealed a target for an extra 250,000 accelerated discharges by next March.
She told colleagues: "While media and campaign groups continue to raise questions about our technology supplier, the programme is focused on the evidence: the FDP is delivering – and if we continue to deliver in the next year, hundreds of thousands of additional patients will be helped because of our vital work.
"The FDP is driving faster diagnoses, faster referrals, faster treatments, and faster discharges. Our priority remains the patients who rely on this continuous improvement. By staying focused on the delivery of these benefits, alongside data security, we will continue to prove the value of this programme through outstanding results."
The memo also showed that trusts using the platform were treating cancer patients more quickly.
Chelsea & Westminster NHS Trust, one of the first to deploy the system, recorded a 7 per cent increase in the number of patients receiving either a diagnosis or all-clear for suspected cancer within 28 days.
Other trusts shortened waits by transferring patients to neighbouring hospitals.
University Hospitals Northamptonshire transferred more than 1,400 patients between sites, cutting waits by an average of 38 days.
'Competition is a good thing'
The memo said the NHS exceeded its target of 85 per cent adoption among acute trusts, with 86 per cent reporting clear benefits.
It added that the focus for the next 12 months was for "deep adoption" of the products within a subset of leading trusts, to deliver its full potential.
This would allow the rest of the NHS to learn from the lessons of the early adopters, to achieve widespread benefits in coming years.
Richard Tice, the deputy leader of Reform UK, added: "Everyone knows the NHS is not short of money but is very wasteful and needs good management.
"Still free at the point of delivery, any software solution that helps improve efficiency should be welcomed. Competition is a good thing."
The Government is expected to decide later this year whether to continue the deal.
Source: “AOL Money”
