A family doctors’ conference has called on the UK’s medics union to help scrutinize bidders for the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) contract to ensure they have a positive track record on security, privacy and ethics.

In London yesterday the BMA’s GPs Committee hosted a conference of representatives from England’s Local Medical Committees (LMCs) which backed a motion to increase scrutiny of the controversial data system.

Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, CEO of Cambridgeshire LMC, said recent news reports and comment from the National Data Guardian (NDG) suggested “Palantir have no business being involved” in the £360 million ($435 million) FDP project, for which NHS England is set to start procurement in the coming weeks.

“NHS England is still peddling the line that the procurement hasn’t yet started and there are other players bidding for the work,” Dr Bramall-Stainer said. "But the new NDG Dr Nicola Byrne – just as her predecessor Dame Fiona Caldicott did – continues to stress the importance of public and professional confidence for the FDP programme’s success.