The UK Government has launched a new Commission to help accelerate the NHS’ use of AI.
The new Commission is tasked with advising the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on how to re-write the regulatory rulebook on AI in healthcare, which will be published next year.
Lawrence Tallon, Chief Executive of the MHRA, said he wants regulation of AI in healthcare to move at the pace of innovation. “The MHRA will act on the recommendations of the Commission to support the NHS’s digital transformation and advance the UK’s ambition to become a global hub for health tech investment.”
The UK National Commission on the Regulation of AI in Healthcare will bring in experts from big tech companies – like Google and Microsoft – as well as leading clinicians, researchers and patient advocates, to advise regulators on how to speed up access to the latest tech in a safe way, so British patients can safely benefit from it first.
I’ve seen too many shiny new technologies purchased with great promise, only to gather dust
AI assistants for doctors
In the meantime, the Commission will also look at accelerating access to AI assistants for doctors that help by taking notes, with regulatory uncertainty currently holding the tech back.
Early tests of ‘Ambient Voice Technology’ shows that it has reduced admin to mean that more people could be seen in A&E and clinicians could spend more time focusing on patients.
However, on the flip side, Dr Rachael Grimaldi, co-founder and Chief Medical Officer at CardMedic, has seen examples first-hand of wildly inaccurate transcriptions in patient notes, and she sees that this only serves to erode trust in these tools. Grimaldi therefore urges the Commission to focus on practical implementation and robust integration frameworks.
If these are done properly, there should be much to gain from these technologies.
Guy Lucchi, Healthcare Managing Director at major UK tech provider System C, said: “Ambient AI, for example, will be key to meeting these goals by automating clinical note-taking, coding and letter generation. We hope NHS England will champion British-built AI solutions. This ensures the technology is perfectly suited to the NHS's unique infrastructure, helping to join up health and social care. This approach not only supports the UK economy and creates jobs but also ensures a competitive market for homegrown suppliers”.
Alex Johnston, Director of Solventum, also reinforces the need for an NHS-specific landscape: “For new technologies to have real impact they must be embedded smoothly into NHS practice, they must support staff rather than add to workloads, and they must be designed in ways that build equity and patient trust.”
AI has the potential to transform healthcare, but only if we get the regulation right
Regulatory clarity on AI in healthcare
The Commission will also help by providing regulatory clarity on various AI tools such as those for radiology and pathology, and remote monitoring systems to support virtual care of patients from their own homes – alerting staff to early signs of deterioration while helping people live independently.
The Commission, which will be chaired by
Not yet a Subscriber?
This is a small extract of the full article which is available ONLY to premium content subscribers. Click below to get premium content on Building Better Healthcare.
Subscribe now Already a subscriber? Sign in here.