(Image: Dylan Connell)
Protesters have gathered outside York Hospital calling on the NHS to end its contract with tech giant Palantir.
York Central MP Rachael Maskell joined more than a dozen activists outside the hospital to raise concern over the software firm, saying many were worried about its use of NHS data and AI.
A spokesperson for the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs York Hospital, said it does not have a "direct commercial relationship with Palantir" but "some of the data we are mandated to share with NHS England will be processed by Palantir".
Palantir was co-founded by the billionaire tech entrepreneur, Peter Thiel, an early backer of US president Donald Trump, who has worked with the US government.
Protesters outside York Hospital on Thursday (October 1) calling on the NHS to end its contract with tech giant Palantir (Image: Dylan Connell)
A group led by the US tech giant secured a £330 million contract to provide the NHS federated data platform (FDP) in 2023, although its involvement sparked concerns about how patient data will be used.
The rollout of the software system, which aims to make it easier for health and care organisations to work together and provide better services to patients, started in 2024.
Ms Maskell and the protesters in York urged the government to trigger a break clause to end or renegotiate the contract, due to run until 2031, by spring 2027.
Naomi Wigley, a nurse practitioner at York Hospital, and Rachael Maskell MP outside the hospital on Thursday (October 1) calling on the NHS to end its contract with tech giant Palantir (Image: Dylan Connell)
The Labour MP told The Press there were concerns about how Palantir would use and manage NHS data which she feared could result in people not seeking health care.
“When people hear that their data could be intercepted and used, of course people will be more reluctant to share their data,” she said. “If that is so, perhaps they won’t be coming forward to have their health care needs addressed. And that’s what really concerns me.
“We already know there’s an inequality in access to healthcare and this could widen that inequality.”
Ms Maskell also called on the government to invest in “British produced solutions and publicly owned solutions”, rather than in Palantir.
She noted that Andy Burnham indicated he would end the NHS’s contract with Palantir before he became prime minister and said: “The government are clearly looking at this but there are hints that they may move forward in that direction – I certainly will be urging them.”
Other programmes 'work much more effectively' - nurse
Naomi Wigley, a nurse practitioner at York Hospital, said there are other programmes built in-house at NHS trusts that “work much more effectively, are cheaper to run and easier to run”.
“Why do we need this [Palantir]?” she said, speaking from outside York Hospital. “Who is it benefiting at the end of the day? Because I don’t feel it’s myself, as a member of community, patient [and] member of staff.”
She added: “I feel Palantir is a company that the NHS should absolutely not be working with on any ethical or moral grounds.”
Protesters outside York Hospital on Thursday (October 1) calling on the NHS to end its contract with tech giant Palantir (Image: Dylan Connell)
The York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said: The trust does not have a direct commercial relationship with Palantir, but some of the data we are mandated to share with NHS England will be processed by Palantir.
“NHS England awarded the contract deliver the NHS federated data platform to a consortium, led by Palantir, in November 2023.”
Read next:
- Police incident and cordon in York city centre - car park closed
- Land to be sold off for one of the largest regeneration schemes in Britain
- New events could be coming to York City's home ground
Palantir was approached for comment over the York Hospital protest. A spokesperson previously said: “Palantir software is helping to deliver better patient care – including 110,000 additional operations to date, a 15 per cent reduction in discharge delays and a 6.8 per cent increase in patients finding out whether they need cancer treatment within 28 days.
“The software is also helping to deliver a government programme that is one of only 30 out of 213 that has a green delivery rating, forecast to deliver a £5 return for every £1 spent.
“But that is what it is – software. How that software is used is controlled by the NHS trusts who use it, with data – legally and contractually – only able to be processed strictly in accordance with their instructions.”