Senior NHS official who lobbied to add GP data to FDP to step down

Matthew Swindells is to step down as chair of the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and three other north-west London NHS trusts on 31 March 2026. The departure follows reports earlier in the month that Mr Swindells privately encouraged colleagues to integrate GP patient data into the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) built by Palantir while simultaneously serving as a paid adviser to the company.

His advisory role was conducted through the lobbying firm Global Counsel, which was co-founded by Lord Peter Mandelson. Although trust board papers initially stated Mr Swindells would be excluded from Palantir-related decisions, he reportedly advocated for the inclusion of patient-level data in the Palantir-run Federated Data Platform. Mr Swindells has denied any conflict of interest, maintaining that his term is ending with the hospital group among the highest performing in England. Interim leadership arrangements are currently being finalised.

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