Patients in the UK will receive better care thanks to a world-first AI early warning system being developed to automatically identify safety concerns across the NHS, helping stop failures before they escalate.
The new safety warning system, being developed as part of the government’s 10-Year Health Plan, will rapidly analyse healthcare data and ring the alarm bell on emerging safety issues.
Work on rolling out the system is already underway. A new Maternity Outcomes Signal System will launch across NHS trusts from November, using near real-time data to flag higher than expected rates of stillbirth, neonatal death and brain injury.
When fully implemented, it will analyse hospital databases to identify patterns of abuse, serious injuries, deaths, or other incidents that can slip through the net, cause harm and stop hospitals from running safely.
Where concerns are raised, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) will deploy specialist inspection teams as soon as possible to investigate and take swift action.
“While most treatments in the NHS are safe, even a single lapse that puts a patient at risk is one too many. Behind every safety breach is a person – a life altered, a family devastated, sometimes by heartbreaking loss,” said Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting.
“Patient safety and power are at the heart of our 10-Year Health Plan. By embracing AI and introducing world-first early warning systems, we’ll spot dangerous signs sooner and launch rapid inspections before harm occurs.”
Streeting said the technology will save lives, catching unsafe care before it becomes a tragedy. “It’s a vital part of our commitment to move the NHS from analogue to digital, delivering better, safer care for everyone.”
The adoption of the AI warning system is underpinned by the government’s transformation of the NHS from analogue to digital, one of the three key shifts outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan.
The warning system is being integrated into the NHS Federated Data Platform, which allows healthcare staff to securely access the information they need in one place. This should less paperwork and manual inspections for staff, and more time caring for patients.
“The NHS in England will be the first country in the world to trial an AI-enabled warning system to flag patient safety issues, which will rapidly analyse routine hospital data and reports submitted by healthcare staff from community settings,” said Professor Meghana Pandit (Co-National Medical Director – Secondary Care)
“The move will turbo-charge the speed and efficiency with which we identify patient safety concerns and enable us to respond rapidly to improve patient care,” she said.
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