Responding to an announcement that £21 million is being
allocated to 64 NHS trusts across England to roll out AI
tools to speed up the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer, the
chief executive of NHS Providers, Sir Hartley said:
“At a time when waiting lists are at another record high and the
NHS workforce is under significant pressure, new technologies,
such as AI, have the potential to offer major benefits to
patients, staff and healthcare.
“Many trusts are already rolling out new technologies including
electronic patient records, virtual wards and electronic
prescribing as part of wider efforts to speed up diagnosis and
treatment of patients.
“This is particularly important as we head into what is likely to
be another tough winter for frontline services.
“But the success of these new innovations will depend on
sustainable funding for digital teams, who are fundamental to
enabling and embedding smarter working across the health service.
“It will be important too that as new technologies are rolled
out, the needs of patients and their families are put front and
centre to ensure these new services are trusted by everyone.
“It is also vital that the opportunities presented by technology
in the NHS to transform care for patients and improve access to
services is not at the expense of the critical need to invest in
core digital and IT infrastructure across the NHS or in
developing the skills of NHS and care professionals skills, who
will adapt to these new ways of working.”
