A pilot run by researchers across UCL and King’s College London is utilising de-identified data from 57 million NHS patients to train a generative AI model. The tool is said to offer predictions on what happens next based on previous medical events, aiming to inform services at a local and national level.
Researchers believe the model could help identify high-risk patient groups, enabling earlier intervention and supporting the move toward more preventative healthcare at scale.
The Foresight model operates within the NHSE Secure Data Environment, where both the AI model and patient data are said to “remain under strict NHS control”. It utilises data on hospital admissions, vaccinations, to events such as heart attacks and new diagnoses, using data from November 2018 to the end of 2023.
Chris Tomlinson, lead researcher, highlighted the benefits of using national scale data in ensuring the diversity of England’s population is represented, adding: “AI models are only as good as the data on which they’re trained. So if we want a model that can benefit all patients, with all conditions, then the AI needs to have seen that during training.”
Fellow lead researcher Professor Richard Dobson spoke of hopes to include richer sources of information in the future, such as clinicians’ notes and the results of investigations including blood tests and scans.
Wider trend: AI in health and care
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust has awarded a contract to medical software company T-Pro for the procurement of their AI-powered voice solutions, supplying the trust with their digital dictation and speech recognition services. The chosen solutions from T-Pro’s suite of products includes their mobile-first digital diction workflow platform and AI-powered speech technology.
Accurx has partnered with Tandem Health, a European health tech company, to launch an AI scribe tool for use across the NHS. The tool supports transcribing, summarising and coding of patient consultations into the clinical record, with the ability to write back to EMIS and SystmOne. It is said to provide capabilities to generate referral letters, advice and guidance requests, and draft appointment summaries and follow-up messages that clinicians can send directly to patients or other care providers.
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust has published a prior information notice looking to procure up to four digital solutions for the implementation of voice recognition software. According to the trust, the four solutions will be split into three different lots, covering digital diction, speech recognition with generative AI and outsourced transcription.
