Senior NHS official Matthew Swindells privately advocated for integrating GP patient data into Palantir’s Federated Data Platform (FDP) while simultaneously advising the US tech firm through a consultancy. Swindells, joint chair of four London hospital trusts since 2022, had previously been excluded from Palantir-related decisions at one trust. In May 2024, he emailed NHS leaders proposing GP data uploads to the FDP, a £330mn Palantir-developed system for NHS operational data.

The FDP, which aggregates waiting lists, staffing, and theatre schedules, avoids combining national GP records due to privacy rules. Swindells argued GP data could enable “population health research” within the platform, citing prior data-sharing changes in north-west London without renegotiating agreements. Critics, including NHS staff and unions, raised concerns about Palantir’s security track record and conflicts of interest, given Swindells’ ties to the company via Global Counsel and Carnall-Farrar Healthcare.

NHS England clarified that GP data sharing requires formal agreements, and Swindells later stated his proposals were “local” and unacted upon. Experts condemned the lack of transparency, with the Centre for Health and Public Interest calling for stricter governance rules.