{"text":[[{"start":7.85,"text":"Hospitals using Palantir’s patient discharge tool have registered “no noticeable improvement” in performance, according to research that is likely to add to calls for an independent audit of NHS England’s claims."}],[{"start":20.15,"text":"There was also “no meaningful difference” in discharge delays at NHS trusts that had adopted the tool and those that had not, according to analysis by the Health Foundation, which was shared with the FT."}],[{"start":32.2,"text":"The think-tank’s findings are at odds with NHS England’s (NHSE) widely cited claim of a 15 per cent fall in long-stay discharge delays at hospitals using the Federated Data Platform, which Palantir won a £330mn contract to build in 2023."}],[{"start":49.800000000000004,"text":"The system for linking disparate datasets is being rolled out across the health service, with the aim of boosting efficiency. But it has come under scrutiny because of concerns about the US technology company’s ties to the defence sector and a lack of evidence for the platform’s effectiveness. "}],[{"start":66.9,"text":"NHSE analysed delay days for long-stay patients, those in hospital for at least a week, while the Health Foundation looked at the share of beds occupied by any patients with a delayed discharge."}],[{"start":78.30000000000001,"text":"“We found no noticeable improvement in discharge performance among trusts using [Palantir’s patient-tracking tool],” the Health Foundation said in a letter to the Office for Statistics Regulation, the watchdog. "}],[{"start":90.45000000000002,"text":"The “gradual upward trend in performance” observed at trusts before they had deployed the tool “continued at broadly the same rate” afterwards, it added."}],[{"start":null,"text":"
"}],[{"start":100.00000000000001,"text":"Jonathan Clarke, senior policy fellow at the Health Foundation, said the analysis used the “broadest view” of whether performance had improved, adding that focusing on patients with longer stays “may not capture the full picture”."}],[{"start":112.85000000000001,"text":"An internal NHSE document, seen by the FT, said health service officials had restricted their analysis to long-stay discharges because the tool was “mainly designed to support the management of complex patients”. "}],[{"start":126.25000000000001,"text":"Applying the think-tank’s method to long-stay patient data suggested a decline of about 5 per cent, one-third of the headline claim. However, “we agree . . . there does not seem to be an impact” when the method is applied to all patients with a delayed discharge, the NHSE document noted."}],[{"start":143.60000000000002,"text":"Steve Black, a healthcare consultant and former NHS data scientist, said the Health Foundation’s report added to the case for an independent audit of the data around the impact of the FDP. "}],[{"start":155.50000000000003,"text":"“It is dangerous to selectively quote evidence like that because its success should be judged against fixing the underlying problem, which is how do we better manage all discharges to free up more beds,” Black said. “The health service does not want to do evaluation properly. They come up with ideas and then look for evidence.” "}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":174.70000000000002,"text":"The internal NHSE document acknowledged the need to “move beyond observational data” and “assess impact in a more rigorous way” by using methods that controlled for other factors. "}],[{"start":186.65,"text":"NHSE awarded a contract for a “robust, independent evaluation” of the FDP to Imperial College London this year, but the university’s final report is not expected until 2029."}],[{"start":199.85,"text":"The Health Foundation’s findings were submitted to the UK statistics watchdog as part of its probe into the FDP data, which led to NHSE qualifying its claims and agreeing to involve the think-tank in the independent evaluation."}],[{"start":213.1,"text":"The health service first received a copy of the think-tank’s analysis in December 2025."}],[{"start":219.29999999999998,"text":"Last month MPs called on the government to trigger a 2027 break clause in Palantir’s contract and instead seek a UK-based provider. "}],[{"start":228.64999999999998,"text":"Palantir said in a statement that the Health Foundation report “appears to misunderstand what the tool does”, which is “supporting the more efficient discharge of long-stay patients with complex needs”."}],[{"start":240.09999999999997,"text":"“By lumping in the vast number of cases where patients are in hospital less than a week, they are comparing apples and oranges, and diluting the impact of the product,” it added."}],[{"start":249.39999999999998,"text":"NHS England said it had “engaged with the Health Foundation on its analysis of the OPTICA discharge tool, providing data and discussing the different approaches and methods used to assess impact. "}],[{"start":261.84999999999997,"text":"“We have commissioned a national independent evaluation of the Federated Data Platform for a more detailed assessment of its impact,” it added."}],[{"start":277.15,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1785136749_7286.mp3"}