UK Government Funds £6m AI Platform For NHS Screening Trials

The NHS is planning to run extensive trials of AI diagnostic tools, in order to enable millions of UK patients to get their diagnoses and treatments more quickly.

The project revolves around a new digital platform, known as AIR-SP, which is being developed by NHS England with almost £6 million in government funding.

The cloud-based system allows NHS trusts across England to run various AI tools through a single, secure environment. The system aims to eliminate duplicate efforts and high expenses that result from trusts operating separate IT systems for each organization.

Studies can cost up to £3.5 million, but the new platform is expected to save £2-3 million per multi-site trial.

“The AI revolution is here, and we are arming staff with the latest ground-breaking technology, so patients get faster and smarter care,” said Health Secretary Wes Streeting, as reported by the governmental press release.

“This government is reinstating the UK’s position as a technology superpower – driving vital investment and economic growth as we build an NHS fit for the 21st century,” Streeting added.

The platform, expected to be ready for research use in 2027, will first support a historic breast cancer trial involving nearly 700,000 women. “This innovative cloud platform will help vastly accelerate research into the use of AI to enhance vital NHS screening programmes,” said Dr Kevin Dunbar of NHS England.

Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health, added: “This unified AI Research Screening Platform will help us to understand how AI can safely and effectively improve patient care.”

However, recent experience suggests implementing AI across the NHS is far from simple. For example, the AI chest diagnostics program – which received £21 million in funding –  faced major delays in 2023 as of procurement issues, IT system incompatibilities, and employee safety concerns.

University College London researchers reported that medical staff worried about their duties when AI systems missed diagnoses. Contracts were signed months later than expected, and networks struggled with governance protocols and data quality.

Researchers concluded that “implementing AI involved complex social and technical processes, requiring significant resources,” warning that AI alone would not resolve systemic pressures in the NHS.

Experts say breast screening already prevents around 1,300 deaths each year in the UK. Simon Vincent of Breast Cancer Now said: “The sooner it’s diagnosed the more likely it is that treatment will be successful.”