NHS Staff Raise Alarm Over Palantir Engineers Being Given NHS Email Accounts
Health service workers have expressed alarm after it emerged that engineers from the controversial US technology firm Palantir have been granted NHS email accounts, giving them access to a directory containing contact details for up to 1.5 million NHS staff.
The development, reported by The Guardian on Wednesday, relates to Palantir's £300 million contract to supply the Federated Data Platform (FDP) to NHS England — a system designed to integrate patient records from different NHS systems to improve waiting list management and care delivery.
Background
Palantir, a US data analytics company with a background in AI-powered surveillance and defence technology, secured the FDP contract in 2023. The platform aims to connect patient records across NHS trusts, with the government describing it as central to its ambition to create a "digital front door" to the health service. However, the contract has been controversial from the outset, with concerns raised about data privacy, patient consent, and the ethics of involving a company with Palantir's track record in sensitive public health infrastructure.
Key Developments
According to The Guardian's investigation, Palantir staff working on the FDP rollout have been given NHS.net email accounts, as well as access to NHS SharePoint file-sharing systems and internal Microsoft Teams groups. Some NHS staff reported discovering they had been in virtual meetings with Palantir employees using NHS email addresses without being informed of their employer.
A Palantir spokesperson said granting NHS email accounts was "normal practice for government suppliers" and that government guidance suggests using government systems is more secure than suppliers using their own. An NHS spokesperson stated that "all suppliers, including Palantir, and their staff operate only under NHS instruction, with all data access remaining under NHS control and governed by strict contractual confidentiality obligations."
Critics, however, point to Palantir's founders' controversial statements and the company's work with US immigration enforcement as reasons for concern. A growing number of NHS staff are reportedly refusing to use the FDP, with the British Medical Association encouraging resistance to the software.
Why It Matters
The NHS holds some of the most sensitive personal data in the UK. Privacy campaigners warn that advanced AI tools can re-identify individuals from supposedly anonymised health records by cross-referencing them with other datasets. Legal advocacy groups have filed for a judicial review, arguing the NHS has failed to seek lawful patient consent for data transfer to a US-owned entity.
What's Next
MPs have called for greater transparency around the contract, and there is speculation that the government may consider exercising a break clause. The Financial Conduct Authority recently awarded Palantir a separate three-month trial contract, suggesting the company's UK public sector footprint may continue to expand despite the controversy.
Read the full investigation at The Guardian.
