Analysis has revealed that more than 20 NHS trusts in England have stopped using a waiting list tool developed by the US software giant Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: PLTR), casting doubt on widely cited claims about the project's success.

The UK statistics watchdog said it has launched a fresh investigation into NHS England's statements about the Federated Data Platform.

NHS England claims that across 40 trusts, more than 300,000 patients have been flagged as removable from elective care waiting lists, with these trusts benefiting from two hospital coordination tools built on Palantir technology.

However, more than half of those trusts no longer use the inpatient or outpatient care coordination solutions to manage waiting lists.

The freedom of information requests were filed by Medact, a health campaign group opposed to Palantir's involvement in the NHS, and published on the transparency website WhatDoTheyKnow.

In a statement, Palantir said: "Both tools are typically used most intensively when the software is first installed at a trust, as their primary purpose is to clean up legacy data errors so trusts have a clear understanding of which patients need treatment."

"This is a basic rule across all our clients: ensure you are working from accurate data before starting to use software to boost organisational productivity."

The UK government is looking for domestic suppliers in case it decides to replace Palantir.

Palantir has been highly controversial due to its ties to the US and Israeli defence industries. Amid growing pressure to trigger the 2027 break clause in the Federated Data Platform contract, the government is scouting alternatives.

Another key NHS England statistic is fundamentally flawed, namely that 1.2 million patients have been removed from waiting lists through the Federated Data Platform's "referral to treatment" tool.

Of the 31 NHS trusts covered by the 1.2 million figure, more than 60% said they could not quantify the benefits of using the tool, 6% said they did not use it, and a further 16% did not respond to the freedom of information requests.

Many trusts said in their responses that they could not directly attribute waiting list removals to the Palantir platform.

One trust noted that staff still handle discharges on the existing hospital platform, and the Federated Data Platform is just one of many inputs. Another trust said that while the software helped with waiting list management, the removals "would have happened anyway" because staff could already access the information through existing systems.

These findings have intensified concerns that NHS England may have misrepresented data to present the 拢330 million contract awarded in 2023 in a more favourable light.

Liberal Democrat MP Martin Wrigley, a member of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, said: "These inflated numbers really do suggest the Palantir contract should be cancelled. There are better alternatives in the UK."

Following the statistics watchdog's preliminary inquiry, NHS England has added disclaimers to several of its key claims, acknowledging that a simple before-and-after comparison does not prove the platform's effectiveness.

Charles Tallack, former head of operational research and evaluation at NHS England, said: "Because it did not consider what would have happened without the Federated Data Platform, NHS England's approach exaggerated its impact."

The government has commissioned an independent evaluation of the Federated Data Platform, but the results are not expected until 2029.

NHS England's data, digital and technology committee has raised concerns about the "slow pace of delivery" on flagship technology projects including the Federated Data Platform, the NHS App and the single patient record programme.

According to board documents published this week, the committee found it was "continuing to experience slower than expected and disjointed programmes, and we are not hitting our ambitious targets".

Critics argue that Palantir's tools are inferior to some existing local systems, such as CIPHA. According to its supplier Graphnet, that software is used in nearly 30% of England.

They say the Federated Data Platform could be delivered by a range of smaller firms already providing data sharing and management solutions to parts of the NHS, rather than relying on a single supplier.

A senior health service data expert said the Federated Data Platform should be "built as a network of contracts with multiple suppliers, coordinated by a centre that understands data and services".

In a statement, NHS England said: "It is right that local NHS organisations can choose and test individual tools within the Federated Data Platform according to their own needs. Nearly 140 NHS organisations in England have reported benefiting from the wide range of tools offered by the platform, helping to integrate and improve patient care."

Palantir added that its "software is helping deliver better care, with trusts using it recording an additional 117,000 operations, a 14.3% reduction in delayed discharges for long-stay patients, and a 5.6% improvement in the number of people learning within 28 days whether they have cancer".

The UK Office for Statistics Regulation said it does not regulate statements made by private companies.