A project developed at Barts Health NHS Trust is using AI eye-tracking technology to help patients with speech difficulties to communicate.
Project VOCAL (Voice for the Critically Unwell) has been developed by ITU nurse Anna Lazcano, with the tool currently in the development stage, and an initial prototype being reviewed by clinical experts including speech and language therapists and AI specialists, to ensure it is safe for use with patients.
“The idea is to enable patients to select words or phrases using their eyes or touch, with AI helping to construct meaningful messages,” Anna explains. “My next goal is to deploy a working prototype of the tool, once deemed appropriate by experts, to demonstrate how eye-tracking and AI-assisted communication could work in practice.”
The initial concept came from her work treating a tracheostomy patient in ITU for over two months, according to Anna, who notes seeing first-hand the frustration for patients when they are unable to communicate effectively. Hopes are to eventually also explore the feasibility for use in the critical care unit.
Over the last few months, the trust has shared a number of digital developments, including the introduction of an “AI nurse” to support with routine check-ins and collect information from patients before handing over to clinical teams. The introduction of the Ovia AI-powered telephone monitoring service is part of the trust’s expansion of its virtual wards and remote monitoring, particularly focusing on patients with heart and lung conditions.
It works by calling patients at a pre-agreed time and asking a series of simple questions, rather than requiring patients to use a smartphone app to submit data such as blood pressure readings, which Barts Health reports has previously been a barrier for some patients. Information gathered is then sent directly to clinical teams, allowing for health professionals to “remain fully in control” and step in where needed, the trust shares.
The trust’s roll out of ambient voice technology has also continued, with the tech being used in capturing clinical conversations and generating patient letters automatically as part of a national trial, it details. Over 2,000 clinicians now have access to Oracle’s Clinical AI Agent tool across the trust, it states, with 1,350 having used it to date, and 700 using it during the month of September.
Wider trend: AI and innovation
HTN was joined by an expert panel including Neill Crump, group associate director for innovation and partnerships at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals and The Dudley Group, and Sameer Gangoli, clinical and governance lead for AI at University Hospitals Sussex, to discuss AI in healthcare. Our panel shared approaches, best practices, challenges, successes, and learnings for the practical implementation of AI technologies across health and care organisations, moving on to explore measuring benefits, as well as assessing security and governance.
In the latest budget for 2026, the government has reaffirmed its commitment on AI for productivity, increasing opportunities for sovereign AI, AI for biosecurity, and exploring quantum technologies. For health specifically, it will launch the Chancellor’s AI Challenge Prize as an annual competition, with the first round to offer a top award of up to £2.5 million for promising solutions to priority healthcare challenges. An independent review has also been commissioned into NHS productivity and the opportunities offered by AI and technology, reporting in early 2027.
South East Coast Ambulance (SECAmb) Service NHS Foundation Trust has presented findings from its “PARA-AI” project exploring attitudes toward AI in pre-hospital care, finding strong support for AI use in clinical care with the appropriate safeguards. Findings from the ten month mixed-methods study were shared during SECAmb’s clinical research summit, by paramedics Nicola Buchan, Jay Garland and Jack Green. 171 survey responses were received, the team noted, complemented by 14 in-depth interviews with SECAmb paramedics.
