A new code of conduct
for artificial intelligence and other data-driven
technologies will ensure that only the best and
safest systems are used by the NHS.
The code encourages technology companies to meet a
gold-standard set of principles to protect patient data to
the highest standards. It has been drawn up with the help of
industry, academics and patient groups.
The aim is to make it easier for suppliers to develop
technologies that tackle some of the biggest issues in
healthcare, such as dementia, obesity and cancer. It will
also help health and care providers choose safe, effective
and secure technology to improve the services they provide.
The code will:
- promote the UK as the best place in the world to invest
in healthtech
- provide evidence of what good practice looks like to
industry and commissioners
- reassure patients and clinicians that data-driven
technology is safe, effective and maintains privacy
- allow the government to work with suppliers to guide the
development of new technology so products are suitable to the
NHS in the future
- make sure the NHS get a fair deal from the
commercialisation of its data resources
The code will also mean the NHS is fairly rewarded for
allowing companies access to its data pool to build
life-saving artificial intelligence systems.
The code is made up of 10 principles that set out how the
government will make it easier for companies to work with the
NHS to develop new technologies and what the NHS expects in
return.
It will be regularly updated in partnership with industry and
stakeholders to ensure it keeps pace with the market.
AI technology is already being used across the NHS to improve
the early diagnosis of heart disease and lung cancer, to
reduce the number of unnecessary operations performed due to
false positives, assist research by better matching patients
to clinical trials, and support the planning of care for
patients with complex needs. Examples include:
- Moorfields/Deepmind – 1 million anonymised eye scans were
shared with Deepmind under a research agreement that began in
mid-2016. Deepmind’s algorithm is designed to find early
signs of age-related macular degeneration and diabetic
retinopathy.
- John Radcliffe Hospital – worked with their partner,
Ultromics, to use AI to improve detection of heart disease
and lung cancer
- Imperial College London – developed a new AI system that
can predict the survival rates for patients with ovarian
cancer
Health and Social Care Secretary said:
Artificial intelligence has the potential to save lives,
but also brings challenges that must be addressed.
We need to create an ecosystem of innovation to allow this
type of technology to flourish in the NHS and support our
incredible workforce to save lives, by equipping clinicians
with the tools to provide personalised treatments.
AI must be used responsibly and our code of conduct sets a
gold-standard set of rules to ensure patient data is always
protected and the systems we use are some of the safest in
the world.
Dr Simon Eccles, Chief Clinical Information Officer for
Health and Care, said:
Parts of the NHS have already shown the potential impact AI
could have in the future of the NHS in reading scans, for
example, to enable clinicians to focus on the most
difficult cases.
This new code sets the bar companies will need to meet to
bring their products into the NHS so we can ensure patients
can benefit from not just the best new technology, but also
the safest and most secure.
