NHS to use AI to spot signs of potential safety scandals

The NHS is to become the first health system in the world to use AI to analyse hospital databases and catch potential safety scandals early, the government has said.

- Harry Taylor

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the technology will provide an early warning system that could detect patterns or trends and trigger urgent inspections.

The scheme is part of the 10-year plan for the NHS that is due to be published by the health secretary, Wes Streeting, this week, and comes after what the government called "a spate of scandals" in mental health and maternity services.

Last week, Streeting announced a national investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal services. It will cover the past 15 years and provide "truth and accountability" when it reports back at the end of this year, the government said.

The AI software will be launched across NHS trusts from November, initially focused on maternity units only. It will use near real-time data to flag higher than average rates of stillbirth, neonatal death and neonatal brain injury.

Streeting said: "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."

He added: "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.