The health care board of Greater Manchester has refused to adopt Palantir’s federated data platform (FDP), setting it apart as the only English region to reject the American software company’s technology within the National Health Service (NHS) system. This rejection has intensified calls in the UK government to reconsider and possibly terminate a $400 million contract with Palantir, slated to run until 2031.
What Happened
The UK government is facing pressure to decide whether to exercise an early termination option on its contract with Palantir, which began rolling out its federated data platform across the NHS in early 2024. While 139 hospital trusts and 35 of England’s 36 integrated care boards (ICBs) are using the platform, Greater Manchester’s ICB — serving a population of about 3 million — has continued relying on its own in-house developed Analytics and Data Science Platform (ADSP) instead. The local board has repeatedly asserted that this homegrown system outperforms Palantir’s solution and holds stronger public trust.
In May 2025, Greater Manchester’s care board reaffirmed its position, concluding their local platform exceeds the capabilities of Palantir’s FDP, some functionalities being two to three years more advanced. The NHS national unit has exerted pressure to adopt Palantir’s system, but Greater Manchester remains resolute, using Palantir’s technology only in a limited capacity, according to insiders.
Key Facts
Palantir Technologies Inc., a U.S.-based software company, was contracted in 2023 by the UK’s Department of Health and Social Care to deliver an FDP aimed at consolidating various NHS data streams. The platform’s purpose is to reduce patient wait times, shorten hospital stays, optimize operating theatres, and enhance data sharing across NHS trusts and ICBs.
The contract value exceeds $400 million and is currently set to expire in 2031, with a break clause allowing cancellation in February 2027. The platform integrates national and local databases to facilitate cross-region data analytics, including applications suited to waitlist management and discharge planning.
Greater Manchester’s ADSP, developed over nearly a decade, combines various technologies and includes primary care data not available in Palantir’s system. NHS Greater Manchester’s chief data and analytics officer, Matt Hennessey, has publicly stated that the ADSP is more flexible and trusted by clinicians and the public, a key factor in its continued use.
What This Means
Greater Manchester’s refusal to fully embrace Palantir’s platform highlights broader questions about the integration of foreign technology in national health services. The deep public skepticism about Palantir, partly due to its controversial involvement in U.S. immigration enforcement and warfare contexts, has fueled resistance among healthcare professionals and patients, complicating data-sharing initiatives central to modernizing the NHS.
This dispute underscores the tension between centralized tech solutions touted as cost-saving and efficiency-improving, and locally developed tools that command greater trust and perceived relevance. For patients, the outcome impacts how seamlessly their medical records are shared and whether NHS resources are allocated effectively based on comprehensive data. The government’s decision regarding the contract could reshape the digital landscape of UK healthcare, either consolidating reliance on a single external vendor or affirming regional autonomy in health data management.
The situation also throws light on the political and ethical challenges inherent in adopting large-scale data platforms that depend on public willingness to contribute sensitive information. Even a technologically advanced platform may falter without user trust, as NHS Greater Manchester has emphasized.
Background
Prior to the FDP’s rollout, NHS patient data management relied heavily on disparate systems including paper records and spreadsheets, leading to fragmented and incomplete data sharing. The Palantir platform was designed to unify data streams into a federated system accessible by trusts and ICBs, enabling AI-driven analytics and improved operational capacity across the health service.
The contract with Palantir became contentious as concerns about data privacy, foreign influence, and the company’s political associations surfaced. In mid-2026, a bipartisan UK parliamentary report criticized the arrangement for creating dependency on a single foreign supplier, recommending exploration of domestic alternatives. A parliamentary committee echoed these concerns after considering testimony from Greater Manchester’s officials.
Analysis
Tom Bartlett, an IT consultant and former NHS data engineering deputy director, contests the notion that Greater Manchester’s ADSP rivals Palantir’s platform in scope and purpose. He emphasizes the FDP’s wide-ranging capabilities, including cross-NHS integration and AI potential, which the local platform cannot replicate.
Conversely, NHS Greater Manchester’s leadership frames the decision as grounded in operational practicality and public trust, both essential to platform success. Palantir representatives argue the ADSP lacks sufficient evidence of improving patient care or reducing costs, maintaining that their system is widely used by NHS staff and benefits thousands of patients monthly.
What Remains Unclear
The UK government’s final position on whether it will trigger the contract’s early termination clause remains undecided, with a deadline approaching in February 2027. The ongoing public debate raises questions over how much influence concerns about Palantir’s political associations and external controversies will have on this decision.
It also remains uncertain how alternative data platforms might scale to replicate the full functionality of Palantir’s FDP across the entire NHS, especially in complex data integration and AI analytics.
What Comes Next
The government must decide by February 2027 whether to continue or terminate the Palantir contract. The decision will follow parliamentary examinations, public consultations, and internal NHS assessments. Meanwhile, Greater Manchester has delayed a planned review of its stance due to amplified public concern, signaling its ongoing resistance.
Sources
This article is based on reporting and publicly available information from the following sources:
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