Palantir's NHS Cancer 360 app: praised, but only six trusts use it

In June 2025, NHS England said the app had "drastically cut down diagnosis times". It pointed to Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, where the share of patients diagnosed within 28 days rose from 72 percent to 85 percent.

How many NHS trusts use Cancer 360?

In June 2026, NHS England said five trusts were using it as of March, with only two listed as benefiting. Health minister Preet Kaur Gill repeated the figure in July. Data published in October said six trusts were using it and five were benefiting, without naming them or explaining the jump. That data has since been removed from the NHS England website.

A Freedom of Information response, gathered by the campaign group No Palantir in the NHS, adds to the puzzle. It said six trusts had unique users logging in over the past 12 months. Yet Chelsea and Westminster and Royal United Hospitals Bath, both cited as successful pilots, were listed with zero. Separate FoI replies say both received benefits. The Register asked both trusts and NHS England to explain.

East Lancashire Hospitals reported one user, but later said it was not live on the FDP and had no go-live date for the app. East Kent Hospitals considered Cancer 360 and declined, citing "no immediate requirement for it". Bedfordshire Hospitals cited metadata requirements.

What happens next for the Palantir contract?

Cancer diagnosis waiting times have improved across England, but with so little uptake those gains cannot simply be credited to the app. In July, the statistical regulator told NHS England to make sure ministers are briefed accurately after a row over data used to promote the FDP.

The government must decide whether to continue the contract beyond February 2027. It runs for up to seven years. Reports this week suggest it will be renewed, alongside a parallel procurement to find an alternative to Palantir.