Show threadChewieMar 11

Apparently there's a zoom call every week about the subject.
I will try and join the next one - the details for this one were sent to me at short notice!

Interestingly one of the organisers said that the AI system that "#Palantir Foundry" that the NHS will be using is based on Apache Spark (https://spark.apache.org/), so in theory non Palantir-based systems could be "plugged in" and used instead in future.

They also mentioned that the NHS does develop their own programs, so it is entirely possible to swap Palantir for other home-grown systems.
An example given was #OpenSAFELY, which was used for Covid-19 research (https://www.england.nhs.uk/2023/11/nhs-expands-use-of-secure-covid-19-research-platform-to-help-find-new-treatments-for-major-killer-conditions/)

It was an interesting meeting, but sadly an hour was not enough to discuss everything that people wanted.

One of the people present are also part of the #No2ID group, and some of the concerns overlap in both groups.

Apache Spark™ - Unified Engine for large-scale data analytics

Apache Spark is a multi-language engine for executing data engineering, data science, and machine learning on single-node machines or clusters.

Show threadJumblesFeb 23
@NoPalantirInSouthYorkshire @nowthenmag.bsky.social Good article. Haven't read the full extent of what FDP claim to be offering (read 'extracting and exploiting from') NHS Trusts, but in terms of alternatives (which the article unfortunately doesn't cover), #OpenSafely looks to be a very good one. Currently used by NHS community services and UK academics:
https://www.opensafely.org/os-in-brief/
OpenSAFELY in brief

⚠️ This is a simplified overview – for details and technical specifics, see OpenSAFELY in detail. OpenSAFELY is a software platform for analysing large, sensitive datasets – without compromising any…

OpenSAFELY
Show threadOndřej MichálekFeb 13
@pluralistic #OpenSAFELY
Peter CockFeb 12
On the back door privatisation of the NHS by @pluralistic “Doctors' union may yet save the NHS from Palanti“ https://pluralistic.net/2026/02/12/palantir-is-ice/#robo-mengele - talks up #OpenSAFELY“the latest iteration of Goldacre's Trusted Research Environment (TRE), arguably the most successful patient record research tool ever conceived.” https://www.opensafely.org/ - a very cool project, I applied for a post there (didn’t get it).
Pluralistic: Doctors’ union may yet save the NHS from Palantir (12 Feb 2026) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow

Erik JonkerApr 19, 2024
Interesting blog about OpenSafely , a platform that allows research of medical data in a secure and privacy friendly way.
https://takes.jamesomalley.co.uk/p/how-to-use-nhs-data-for-scientific
#opensafely #privacy #security #medicaldata #NHS
How to use NHS data for scientific research – without creating a privacy nightmare

What happened when Ben Goldacre stopped writing fun popular science books and got a real job instead.

Odds and Ends of History
Richard DallawayFeb 25, 2024

Ben Goldacre: “the best way to view [medical records] is a little bit like nuclear material […] incredibly powerful, but it’s also really dangerous. Once it leaks, it can’t be un-leaked”

10 minutes on medical data and the #OpenSAFELY project, allowing researchers to run their code on sensitive data, safely:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0hcdw8r

BBC Radio 4 - More or Less: Behind the Stats, The digital ‘robots’ unlocking medical data

Ben Goldacre on OpenSAFELY, protecting patient privacy while analysing health data

BBC
Laurie TomlinsonNov 8, 2022

👋
I'm a #kidney doctor working in Sussex and an Associate Professor in #Epidemiology in the EHR group at #LSHTM. I do research into drug effects. especially related to kidney disease, and into #COVID-19. I get to work with the cool kids at the Bennett Institute in Oxford which is pretty great. I think about better use of observational evidence. Except tomorrow, when I will be eating cake

#MedMastodon
#nephrology
#epidemiology #bigdata #realworld evidence
#OpenSAFELY