NHS trusts confirm they will not be sharing patient data with the controversial firm following council opposition

Two South Yorkshire NHS trusts have confirmed that they will not be sharing patient data by using a controversial online platform provided by the firm Palantir.

NHS trusts running local patient services were contacted by Sheffield City Council chief executive Kate Josephs following a vote at the full council meeting in June. This opposed a £330m contract signed by the NHS and US-based multinational Palantir to outsource the handling of patient data.

Campaign Medact Sheffield has led local opposition to the firm’s involvement in the NHS.

A demonstration against US data giant Palantir having a contract to process NHS patients' data. The protest was held outside a meeting of Sheffield City Council, June 24, 2026 | Julia Armstrong, LDRS

placeholder image — A demonstration against US data giant Palantir having a contract to process NHS patients' data. The protest was held outside a meeting of Sheffield City Council, June 24, 2026 | Julia Armstrong, LDRS

The company routinely passed on US patients’ medical data to help the ICE immigration enforcement agency deport people from the USA. It is also deeply involved with Israeli military operations in Gaza.

Ms Josephs wrote to local NHS trusts to ask whether they use Palantir. Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust is the only one locally to say it does.

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A meeting of the council’s health scrutiny sub-committee on November 5 heard that Sheffield Health Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust and South Yorkshire NHS Integrated Care Board have now confirmed that they do not plan to use Palantir.