New NHS plan adds AI to protect patient safety
The new AI tool will analyse NHS data in real time to catch safety issues and trigger faster inspections by the CQC.
The NHS is set to introduce a world-first AI system to detect patient safety risks early by analysing hospital data for warning signs of deaths, injuries, or abuse.
Instead of waiting for patterns to emerge through traditional oversight, the AI will use near real-time data to trigger alerts and launch rapid inspections.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced that a new maternity-focused AI tool will roll out across NHS trusts in November. It will monitor stillbirths, brain injuries and death rates, helping identify issues before they become scandals.
The initiative forms part of a new 10-year plan to modernise the health service and move it from analogue to digital care.
The technology will send alerts to the Care Quality Commission, whose teams will investigate flagged cases. Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS England’s medical director, said the UK would become the first country to trial this AI-enabled early warning system to improve patient care.
CQC chief Sir Julian Hartley added it would strengthen quality monitoring across services.
However, nursing leaders voiced concerns that AI could distract from more urgent needs. Professor Nicola Ranger of the Royal College of Nursing warned that low staffing levels remain a critical issue.
She stressed that one nurse often handles too many patients, and technology should not replace the essential investment in frontline staff.
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