UK Launches AI Warning System to Detect NHS Patient Safety Risks Early

The system aims to prevent harm by identifying safety risks before they escalate, with rollout work already in progress.

A new AI-powered early warning system is being developed to detect emerging patient safety concerns across NHS services, as part of the UK government’s forthcoming 10-Year Health Plan. 

The system aims to prevent harm by identifying safety risks before they escalate, with rollout work already in progress.

The initiative follows recent maternity and mental health scandals, increasing pressure on regulators to act. From November, a new Maternity Outcomes Signal System will go live in NHS trusts, using near real-time data to flag higher-than-expected rates of stillbirths, neonatal deaths, and brain injuries.

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," he added.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) will respond to AI alerts by deploying specialist inspection teams to investigate risks. This development is part of the government’s broader effort to transition the NHS from analogue to digital systems and improve transparency and accountability in healthcare.

Professor Meghana Pandit, Co-National Medical Director – Secondary Care, said, "The NHS in England will be the first country in the world to trial an AI-enabled warning system to flag patient safety issues, which will rapidly analyse routine hospital data and reports submitted by healthcare staff from community settings."

CQC Chief Executive Sir Julian Hartley noted, "We will develop a stronger focus on all dimensions of quality, using data on inequalities in access, experience, and outcomes that we and partners hold to spot and act on risk earlier."

The announcement also follows a separate national investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal services, which aims to improve care and ensure accountability.

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