Poll: Public Don’t Trust External Firms to Handle Their NHS Data

Questions have been raised regarding private companies handling patient data in light of Palantir’s multi-million pound deal with the NHS.

An NHS sign is pictured outside St Thomas' Hospital, near the Houses of Parliament, in central London, on March 8, 2017. Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images

Public trust in external companies handling NHS health data is low, according to a poll.

On Tuesday, it was announced that a group led by Palantir had secured the £330 million contract to provide an NHS-shared software system, which the government claims will bring down waiting lists, currently at 7.7 million, the highest since records began in 2007.