Nearly a 3rd (30%) of English hospital trusts utilizing Palantir’s Federated Information Platform (FDP) are finishing up fewer affected person operations than earlier than they began utilizing it, in line with knowledge obtained from the NHS by campaigning group Foxglove.
The findings, revealed through freedom of data (FOI) requests, problem claims by the UK authorities and Palantir that FDP is growing general surgical procedures throughout hospitals, mentioned Foxglove.
The NHS knowledge signifies that 41 trusts are at the moment utilising Inpatient CCS, Palantir’s FDP module, which is designed to help hospitals in managing affected person operation scheduling. Of those, 13 trusts – roughly 30% – reported a lower within the whole variety of operations carried out in contrast with the interval earlier than they adopted the FDP device.
Collectively, mentioned Foxglove, these 13 trusts recorded 9,073 fewer operations after implementing Inpatient CCS, compared with the equal timeframe earlier than its adoption. This marks the primary public launch of information detailing whether or not particular person trusts utilizing FDP have skilled a rise or lower in surgical volumes.
In accordance with Foxglove, NHS England had beforehand solely printed the cumulative whole of further operations throughout all trusts utilizing FDP. Foxglove argues this method was doubtlessly deceptive because it obscured cases the place efficiency had declined at a big variety of trusts that had adopted the expertise.
Foxglove head of technique Tim Squirrell mentioned: “Foxglove’s investigation has proven that the flagship declare made by NHS England and Palantir about the advantages to hospitals of the Federated Information Platform wants a severe well being warning.
The massive declare that the FDP is delivering extra operations for hospitals throughout the NHS is overlaying up a a lot much less constructive actuality – a 3rd of the trusts utilizing FDP’s operations scheduling device, Inpatient CCS, are literally delivering fewer operations than earlier than they began utilizing Palantir’s equipment Tim Squirrell, Foxglove
“We now know that the large declare the FDP is delivering extra operations for hospitals throughout the NHS is overlaying up a a lot much less constructive actuality – a 3rd of the trusts utilizing FDP’s operations scheduling device, Inpatient CCS, are literally delivering fewer operations than earlier than they began utilizing Palantir’s equipment.”
The campaigning group has argued that attributing efficiency enhancements to FDP with out offering the underlying knowledge prevents efficient public and parliamentary scrutiny of the platform. It additionally says NHS England has not printed comparative knowledge for trusts that aren’t utilizing Palantir’s instruments, which makes it troublesome to isolate the influence of FDP.
“Palantir can’t have it each methods. If it expects us to consider that FDP is answerable for enhancements in some hospitals, it should additionally settle for that issues are getting worse on account of its instruments in others,” Squirrell added. “So far, ministers and Palantir have failed to supply the data all of us have to resolve whether or not the FDP is de facto serving to or not. We shouldn’t should undergo a collection of time-consuming FOI requests to entry the essential data that enables us to work out if this device is actually delivering for the NHS or not.”
Questions concerning the worth for cash of Palantir’s providers have additionally been raised in different authorities departments. Civil servants just lately opted to convey a multimillion-pound Palantir contract for housing Ukrainian refugees in-house.
The Palantir contract for the NHS is valued at greater than £300m. “Ministers could wish to contemplate whether or not NHS sufferers throughout England will agree that this ropey proof is sufficient to justify giving this US tech large one other large contract in considered one of our most essential public providers,” Squirrell mentioned.
Nevertheless, Tom Bartlett, former deputy director of information engineering at NHS England, who led the 150-person staff that constructed the FDP, argued that focusing solely on particular nationally commissioned merchandise may miss the broader strategic intent of the FDP.
“The FT and Foxglove are proper that the advantages are concentrated in a handful of trusts. NHS England is correct that the platform is delivering outcomes the place it’s correctly adopted. The advantages must be measured correctly if we’re to know how effectively the nationally developed merchandise are working, and though NHSE have commissioned this, we gained’t see the outcomes for years,” Bartlett said.
Bartlett emphasised that the first use circumstances for the FDP are anticipated to be generated by clinicians creating options regionally. He highlighted vital, typically missed, knowledge dangers throughout the NHS.
“Throughout the NHS, boards are operating huge dangers they appear unaware of. Stroll into any ward, theatre or scientific staff base, and you will note whiteboards and spreadsheets containing affected person data, in full view of anybody who visits and liable to being by chance deleted, not related to another hospital system. Nobody is even asking the query about this monumental danger – simply have a look at any Belief Board Assurance Framework or Company Threat Register, and you’ll not discover it.”
