NHS patients will benefit from new artificial intelligence (AI) technologies thanks to a £50 million boost.

A range of AI-powered innovations which can analyse breast cancer screening scans and assess emergency stroke patients will be tested and scaled. 

Take-home technology could also see patients given devices and software that can turn their smartphone into a clinical grade medical device for monitoring kidney disease, or a wearable patch to detect irregular heartbeats, one of the leading causes of strokes and heart attacks.

These tools and products part of the £140 million AI in Health and Care Award programme, each receiving a share of over £50 million. The award is managed by the Accelerated Access Collaborative in partnership with NHSX and the National Institute for Health Research.

The package also includes funding to support the research, development and testing of promising ideas which could be used in the NHS in future to help speed up diagnosis or improve care for a range of conditions including sepsis, cancer and Parkinson’s.

The NHS is committed to becoming a world leader in the use of AI and machine learning, aiming to reap the benefits that range from faster and more personalised diagnosis to greater efficiency in screening services.

Sir Simon Stevens, NHS chief executive, said: “The NHS has and always will rely first and foremost on the clinical expertise of our staff, but the innovations we’re funding today have the potential to save lives by improving screening, cancer treatment and stroke care for NHS patients across the country.”

"We're still in the early stages of AI, but when the latest chapter in the history of medicine comes to be written, AI in health care will doubtless rank alongside earlier advances such as the stethoscope, the X ray and the blood test."

AI products will be trialled in several NHS organisations before potentially being adopted across the health service.

Each product will undergo testing and independent evaluation to ensure they are effective, accurate, safe and value for money.

The AI in Health and Care Award forms part of the NHS AI Lab and is managed by the Accelerated Access Collaborative in partnership with NHSX and the National Institute for Health Research.

Matthew Gould, chief executive of NHSX, said: “Throughout the pandemic, the NHS has shown how digital technology can transform the service it provides, quickly and safely, but we have a long way to go.

“The NHS AI Lab was set up to drive the adoption of data-driven technologies, with the goal of enhancing the care our staff can give their patients, and these awards should give that effort a serious boost.”

Subject to contracting, successful products to be spread include:

• Healthy IO - will spread its AI powered app that turns a smartphone into a clinical grade medical device capable of detecting albuminuria, an early warning sign of Chronic Kidney Disease which could help patients with diabetes.
• iRhythm Technologies - will spread its wearable ECG monitoring patch and service that utilises AI-led processing and analysis to help diagnose atrial fibrillation
• Brainomix will share its digital tools, used to assess emergency stroke patients, to a number of NHS sites following recent successful deployment at Royal Berkshire NHS Trust.

Justin Hall, GM and VP EMEA at iRhythm Technologies said: “The UK is home to some of the most cutting-edge, life-changing medical technologies. However, it is still taking years for medical devices to go from clinical trial to wide-spread adoption, meaning neither patients nor practitioners are seeing the many benefits of these innovations. We’re absolutely delighted to have been chosen as part of the pilot to change that.”

The AI in Health and Care Award will distribute £140 million over three years, with the next round of applications set to open in the autumn.