Further applications for artificial intelligence (AI) in the NHS are “on the horizon” in a bid to free up doctors’ time and provide better support to patients.
Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of NHS England, said patients are already benefiting from advancements in technology.
“In stroke care, AI is already in use in more than four out of five stroke networks, helping clinicians to reduce the time to deliver effective treatment by an hour, tripling the number of stroke patients recovering with no or only slight disability from one in six, to just under half.
“And in cancer, we are rolling out AI teledermatology capability which can predict with 99.7% accuracy whether a skin lesion is likely to be cancerous or not, speeding up diagnosis and treatment for patients.
As a national health service, we are in prime position to be able to make this technology available quickly— Amanda Pritchard
Ms Pritchard added that “far more applications are on the horizon” for AI in the NHS.
“Applications that have the potential to free up clinicians’ time, give them faster access to test results and provide new forms of support for many patients,” she added.
“As a national health service, we are in prime position to be able to make this technology available quickly. And our national commercial powers make us well placed to get the best deal for taxpayers.”
Ms Pritchard’s comments come amid debate on how to regulate advancements in AI technology.
On a visit to the US earlier in June, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he wanted to avoid “scaremongering” around AI, but acknowledged it could pose the same risks as nuclear war and pandemics if not regulated properly.
His comments came after his adviser Matt Clifford said AI could result in advances in technology that subsequently “kill many humans”.
The technology that exists today can instantly free up staff, make their working lives more bearable so they stay in the service, and deliver better, faster care for patients at the same time— Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting
He later tweeted that headlines based on the TalkTV interview do not reflect his views.
Minster for tech and digital economy Paul Scully urged for the focus of the conversation around AI to shift from a “Terminator-style scenario”, to the technology’s potential usefulness, especially when it comes to healthcare.
In a speech delivered at NHS ConfedExpo, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting called for technology to be upgraded to stop the health service “being held back by creaking, outdated technology”.
He added that AI “can rule out cancer-free scans in seconds” and can “help interpret chest X-rays” to save radiologists time, but the technology had yet to be adopted or rolled out across the NHS.
Mr Streeting said: “The technology that exists today can instantly free up staff, make their working lives more bearable so they stay in the service, and deliver better, faster care for patients at the same time.”
