A group led by a US tech giant has been handed a £330 million contract to provide a new data platform for the NHS, it has been confirmed.
The companies, led by Palantir Technologies UK, will provide a new shared software system known as the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP), which will aim to make it easier for health and care organisations to work together and provide better services to patients.
Palantir will be supported by Accenture, PwC, NECS and Carnall Farrar, NHS England said.
It added that “no company involved in the Federated Data Platform can access health and care data without the explicit permission of the NHS”.
The move comes after concerns were raised about Palantir’s involvement in the deal earlier this summer, when the company was handed a £25 million contract without competition to put in place transition arrangements.
It sparked renewed criticism over the decision to exclude the NHS from new procurement reforms, aimed at ensuring transparency in the awarding of contracts.
The £330 million investment in the FDP will be made over the course of seven years,…
