New artificial intelligence technology will scan NHS systems to flag safety concerns to the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Described as a ‘world first’ by the Department of Health and Social Care, the AI warning system aims to identify safety concerns before they escalate. It will analyse hospital data to identify patterns of abuse, serious injuries, deaths and other incidents.
Once the AI system has flagged a concern, a CQC team will investigate and take action to resolve it.
The development of the new technology was prompted by a ‘spate of scandals’ including poor performance in sectors such as mental health and maternity. The first stage of implementation will focus on maternity specifically, with a Maternity Outcomes Signal System to be rolled out across NHS trusts from November.
‘Embracing AI’
The government said this initiative forms a key part of its plan for change. Health and social care secretary Wes 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.
‘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.
‘This technology will save lives – catching unsafe care before it becomes a tragedy. It’s a vital part of our commitment to move the NHS from analogue to digital, delivering better, safer care for everyone.’
CQC chief executive Sir Julian Hartley said: ‘We will develop a stronger focus on all dimensions of quality, using data which we and partners hold on inequalities in access, experience, and outcomes to spot and act on risk earlier.
‘We are already developing our new clearer, simpler, assessment approach, and in the future our experienced teams of inspectors, led by our newly appointed chief inspectors, will be able to conduct more inspections and share feedback on the findings more quickly – so that providers can make faster improvements, and the public have timely information about care.’
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