Using AI to detect health risks early in the UK

In a bid to tackle poor standards in mental health and maternity services, the NHS (UK's National Health Service) will use AI to analyze hospital databases and spot potential health safety scandals early.

Healthcare systems use AI to analyze data and improve medical safety. Photo: Midjourney

The Department of Health and Social Care said the technology would provide an early warning system that could spot unusual patterns or trends and trigger urgent inspections. The initiative is part of a 10-year reform plan for the NHS set to be announced by Wes Streeting this week.

Last week, Mr Streeting announced a national inquiry into NHS maternity and neonatal services, aiming to bring “truth and accountability”, looking at what went wrong over the past 15 years. The report is due to be published in December 2025.

From November, a “signaling system” will be rolled out across NHS trusts, using near real-time data to monitor unusually high rates of stillbirth, neonatal death and brain injury – a key focus of work to improve the quality of maternity care.

"Patient safety and empowerment are at the heart of our 10-year health plan. By using AI and introducing a world -first early warning system, we will spot danger signs earlier and carry out rapid inspections before incidents occur," said Minister Streeting.

“This technology will save lives: spotting unsafe care before it becomes a tragedy. It is a vital step in our commitment to move the NHS from 'analogue' to 'digital', delivering better, safer care for everyone.”

NHS England will be the first country in the world to trial an AI-powered alert system to detect patient safety issues, said Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS national medical director for secondary care. The system will rapidly analyze routine hospital data and reports from health workers in the community. “This will increase the speed and efficiency of identifying safety concerns, allowing us to respond in a timely manner to improve the quality of care,” she said.

However, Professor Nicola Ranger, general secretary of the Royal Nursing College, said that using AI to maintain patient safety is no substitute for increasing the number of healthcare workers. “Technology will always have an important role to play, but the right investment should start with having enough frontline staff to keep patients safe,” Ranger said.

(Source: theguardian.com)

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