Palantir patient data tech rejected by many NHS trusts in England
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EN: The present continuous tense ('are rejecting') is formed with 'be' + verb-ing. Here, it describes an ongoing trend or developing action occurring around the present time.
Several local councils are adopting new renewable energy policies.
EN: The relative clause 'that was built by...' modifies the noun 'platform'. Inside the clause, the passive voice ('was built') is used to emphasize the product rather than the agent ('by the US company Palantir').
They bought a software system that was developed by an international team.
EN: The NHS (National Health Service) is the publicly funded healthcare system in the UK, deeply valued by the British public. Collaborations involving sensitive patient records and private, foreign technology contractors often face intense public scrutiny regarding data privacy and governance.
EN: The sentence features nested noun clauses acting as objects: the main verb 'show' takes a 'that'-clause ('that many health bosses believe...'), and the verb 'believe' inside it takes a zero-that clause ('[that] other systems are equal or better').
Reports indicate that scientists believe new methods are safer.
EN: Predicate adjectives linked by 'or': 'equal or better' serves as the subject complement describing 'other systems' through the linking verb 'are'.
The results are similar or better than expected.
EN: In the UK, 'Freedom of information' (FOI) refers to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, which gives the public the right to access recorded information held by public authorities like the NHS.
EN: Compound sentence with 'and': Two independent clauses are joined by the coordinating conjunction 'and'. Each clause contains its own subject and finite verb ('The technology cost...' and 'it was designed...').
The project took three years to complete, and it helped thousands of local families.
EN: Passive Voice with Infinitive of Purpose ('be designed to do'): 'Was designed' uses passive voice (be + past participle) to show the technology received the action of designing. The following infinitive 'to connect' indicates the specific intended purpose.
This software was designed to protect personal information online.
EN: In the UK context, 'pounds' refers to British pounds sterling (£). Large public procurement figures like '330 million pounds' often attract substantial political scrutiny and public debate, especially when dealing with NHS funding and sensitive patient medical records.
EN: The structure 'make + it + adjective + to-infinitive' uses 'it' as a dummy object (preparatory object). The real object is the infinitive phrase ('to manage waiting lists...'), which is placed at the end to keep the sentence balanced and clear.
The new app has made it convenient to order groceries online.
EN: Parallel structure allows coordinating conjunctions like 'and' to connect verbs of equal grammatical form. Here, 'manage' and 'plan' are both base form verbs sharing the infinitive marker 'to' (to manage... and [to] plan...).
She wants to learn French and travel across Europe.
EN: In the UK's National Health Service (NHS), 'waiting lists' are a persistent national talking point, often referring to the long queues for non-urgent elective treatments and specialized surgeries.
EN: The conjunction 'that' introduces a noun clause functioning as the direct object of the reporting verb 'said'. Note that although the reporting verb is in the past tense ('said'), the subordinate clause uses the present tense ('do not use') to emphasize an ongoing, current habitual fact.
The committee reported that they do not support the proposal.
EN: 'At least' is an adverbial quantifier phrase meaning 'not less than' or 'the minimum number of', commonly placed before numbers or quantities.
At least twenty members attended the emergency meeting.
EN: In the UK's National Health Service (NHS), an 'NHS trust' is an organizational unit that provides a specific type of care, such as acute hospital services or mental health services. 'Health boards' typically manage healthcare services in specific geographic regions, especially in Scotland and Wales.
EN: Compound sentence with the coordinating conjunction 'but': Connects two independent clauses ('Others tested...' and 'they later went back...') to contrast an initial action with a subsequent change of mind or direction.
We tried the new software, but we decided to keep the original program.
EN: Relative clause with 'which': Introduces a defining relative clause ('which they used before') modifying the noun 'tools'. In modern English, 'that' can also be used here, and the pronoun can even be omitted as it functions as the object of 'used'.
She returned to the book which she bought last week.
EN: In the UK health sector, large-scale IT procurement is notoriously difficult. NHS trusts operate with considerable local autonomy, meaning that individual hospitals or regional boards often resist top-down national software rollouts if existing localized software is perceived as more reliable or better customized.
EN: Indirect Speech with Omitted 'that': In reported speech, verbs like 'said' often introduce a noun clause functioning as the direct object. The conjunction 'that' is frequently omitted in informal and journalistic styles without changing the meaning.
The manager said our project was approved.
EN: Comparative Construction with 'more than': The phrase 'more than [clause]' is used to compare quantities, degrees, or extents between two things or actions.
The new laptop performed better than the technician expected.
EN: In the UK's National Health Service (NHS), an 'NHS trust' is an organizational unit that serves either a specific geographical area or a specialized function (such as an acute hospital or mental health services). It is not a financial trust fund, but a public healthcare operating entity.
EN: The pattern 'describe + object + as + adjective/noun' is used to state what characteristics someone or something is believed to have.
The manager described the new software as reliable and efficient.
EN: The present participle 'meaning...' functions as a participial phrase providing additional clarification or definitions for the preceding quoted terms.
He called the policy redundant, meaning unnecessary and repetitive.
EN: In the UK health system (NHS), local integrated care boards (ICBs) hold significant autonomy in deciding how healthcare budgets are spent and which software tools suit regional hospital trusts best.
EN: The conjunction 'whether' introduces an embedded noun clause acting as the direct object of the verb 'decide'. It expresses an indirect choice or question between alternatives (whether to do something or not).
The committee must consider whether they can approve the budget.
EN: The infinitive phrase 'to end...' functions as an adverbial of purpose (infinitive of purpose), explaining why the government would use the break clause.
He negotiated carefully to protect his company's rights.
EN: A 'break clause' is a standard legal provision in British commercial and property contracts that allows either party to terminate the agreement before the full term ends, often at pre-agreed milestones.
EN: The present perfect tense ('has faced') is formed with 'have/has' + past participle. It indicates an action or experience that happened at an unspecified time in the past and remains relevant to the present situation.
The company has faced criticism over its privacy policies.
EN: 'Because' is a subordinating conjunction used to introduce a subordinate clause of cause or reason ('because it works with...'). It explains why the action in the main clause took place.
He decided to leave because the environment was toxic.
EN: Palantir Technologies is heavily involved in government defense, law enforcement, and intelligence contracting. Its work with military bodies and agencies like US Homeland Security often sparks public controversy and ethical debate, particularly when applying the same technologies to public healthcare systems.
EN: The adjective 'worried' is commonly followed by the preposition 'about' to indicate the cause of anxiety or concern: 'be worried about something/someone'.
Many citizens are worried about the rising cost of living.
EN: Apposition occurs when two noun phrases are placed side-by-side to describe the same person or entity, adding extra descriptive detail. Here, 'the tech billionaire Peter Thiel' explains who 'the company's cofounder' is.
My friend, an experienced software engineer, helped me fix the bug.
EN: Peter Thiel is a prominent American venture capitalist, political conservative, and cofounder of PayPal and Palantir. His past comments criticizing public healthcare systems (such as the NHS) and Palantir's defense contracts have generated significant public debate in the UK.
EN: The structure 'make + object + adjective' is a causative pattern meaning 'to cause someone or something to enter a particular state'. In this sentence, 'makes people sick' means causes people to become ill.
Eating too much junk food can make you sick.
EN: The clause 'that he made in 2023' is a defining relative clause modifying the noun 'comment'. The relative pronoun 'that' functions as the object of the verb 'made'.
The decision that they made yesterday surprised everyone.
EN: The National Health Service (NHS) is widely cherished in the UK as an iconic national institution offering free healthcare at the point of delivery. Peter Thiel's provocative statement sparked public controversy and political debate, as Palantir was competing for large data infrastructure contracts with the NHS.
Key vocabulary words with IPA pronunciation, definitions, example sentences, and interactive quizzes.
Phrases with type tags, bilingual definitions, usage notes, and example sentences.
The legal right of the public or journalists to access information and documents held by government and public bodies.
A list of people who are waiting for something that is not immediately available, such as hospital treatment.
To return to a previous state, activity, or choice.
A term in a contract that allows one or both parties to end the agreement early at a specified date.