NHS memo flags Palantir expansion

A leaked internal memo shows NHS England’s chief data officer Ming Tang urging a wider rollout of Palantir’s Federated Data Platform and calling it “delivering ‘outstanding results’.” (ft.com) The memo, published and reported by the Financial Times on April 8, 2026, told staff the programme should “maintain our focus” amid external criticism. (ft.com) NHS England awarded Palantir a deal tied to the Federated Data Platform that officials have described as worth up to about £330 million and first reported in 2023. (pharmaphorum.com) Separately, NHS employees have raised alarms after reports that Palantir engineers were issued NHS.net email accounts giving potential access to internal directories covering roughly 1.5 million staff. (digitalhealth.net) A coalition of health and human-rights groups, coordinated in a Medact briefing published in March 2026, urged trusts and integrated care boards to refuse the Palantir software and called for NHS England to cancel the contract at its review. (medact.org) Palantir and NHS programme documents claim the platform has “helped deliver” roughly 110,000 additional operations, a reported ~15% reduction in discharge delays, and a 6.8% increase in 28-day cancer diagnosis rates, figures cited in recent coverage. (digitalhealth.net) The Financial Times and other outlets have reported informal boycotts by some clinical and non-clinical staff, even as ministers privately seek legal advice about a contractual break clause ahead of a 2027 review. (theregister.com) With the contract review due in early 2027 and campaigners from Amnesty and Medact pressing for termination, ministers and trust boards now face decisions about whether to expand Palantir’s access or to invoke the break clause. (amnesty.org)