NHS app to use AI to decide which service is best for patients

Artificial intelligence will be used on an NHS app to decide which service is most suitable for patients in England, the health service has announced.

A new screening tool asks patients a series of questions, and uses the responses to direct them to a GP appointment, pharmacy, A&E, community service or self-care advice.

NHS England says the update is part of a “major overhaul” of the technology, which will reach more than 200,000 patients over the next 12 months and will be available to all app users by April 2028.

The release was largely welcomed, but some health bodies urged the NHS to prioritize patient safety, privacy and inclusion as it becomes more reliant on AI.

An initial trial of the device at Wealden Ridge Medical Partnership in Sussex reduced the number of people queuing for appointments by phone by 29%.

Dr. Raghu Rajan, who works at the practice, said integrating the tools means our patients can tell us what they need and be guided to the right treatment the first time.

“It didn’t replace our judgment – it gave us time to use it.”

Sir Jim Mackie, chief executive of NHS England, said the tool “will help patients find the best service for their needs first time … so ensuring clinicians can get the GP appointment they most need sooner”.

It comes as part of the government’s £10bn investment by 2025 to improve NHS technology, digital and data systems.

There will also be a UK-wide rollout of AI tools that record conversations between patients and NHS staff to generate real-time transcripts and clinical summaries.

It starts with non-overnight hospital appointments at four NHS trusts in and around London – St George’s, Epsom and St Heler’s, Croydon, and Kingston and Richmond.

Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool and University of Manchester NHS Foundation Trust are also expanding their AI diary programmes.

A trial led by Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and carried out across nine NHS sites in London found that NHS staff spent 25% more time dealing with patients when they used reminder technology.

Professor Lynne Woolsey, chief nursing officer at the Royal College of Nursing, said the rollout was “an important step towards improving technology in the NHS” and “will ease the administrative burden on nursing staff”.

But she emphasized that patient safety and confidentiality must come first. “The heart of any AI identification system is guaranteed to be the healthcare professional making decisions at key points in that process.”

Pritish Mistry, a fellow at the King’s Fund think tank, said the announcement “(can) help turbocharge improvements in how the NHS uses modern technology to deliver better care to patients.”

“It should be easy for people to access digital and in-person support at the right time and in a way that suits them,” she added.

“And this means that as clinical services become more dependent on technology, the NHS will need to pay more attention to ensuring that people are not digitally excluded.”

Conservative shadow health secretary Stuart Andrew said: “Any innovation that improves patient care and helps the NHS work more effectively is welcome. But new technology must be introduced in a fully funded scheme that delivers value to taxpayers.”