New AI System to Flag NHS Safety Risks Early

The UK is set to become the first country to use an artificial intelligence (AI) early warning system to flag healthcare safety issues in real time.

The government said the system will trigger earlier inspections by identifying patterns in hospital data and reports from community healthcare staff.

The new technology will alert the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to signs of abuse, serious injury, death, or other safety issues. When flagged, CQC teams will be able to conduct targeted inspections. 

Officials say the move aims to prevent NHS failures from escalating and to protect patients from the types of harm seen in recent high-profile scandals. The initiative forms part of the government’s 10-Year Health Plan to modernise NHS services by shifting from analogue to digital systems.

The new system is expected to help save lives by “catching unsafe care before it becomes a tragedy”, Streeting said on Monday.

Faster Problem Detection

Concerns over NHS safety have intensified in recent years after a spate of scandals, particularly in mental health and maternity services.

Last week, Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting announced a rapid national investigation into “systemic” failures in NHS maternity care spanning more than 15 years.

The first phase of the AI rollout — the Maternity Outcomes Signal System — is due to be launched across NHS trusts this year. It will monitor near real-time data to flag higher than expected rates of stillbirth, neonatal death, or brain injury. 

‘Turbo-Charging’ Patient Safety Response

Professor Meghana Pandit, co-national medical director for secondary care at NHS England, predicted that the new system would “turbo-charge” how quickly the NHS responds to safety concerns.

Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive of the CQC, said a clearer and simpler inspection approach is already in development.

“In the future our experienced teams of inspectors, led by our newly appointed chief inspectors, will be able to conduct more inspections and share feedback on the findings more quickly,” he said.

Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, said trusts must be able to identify failures and take action before inspections are triggered.

Staffing Concerns Remain

However, Professor Nicola Ranger, general secretary and chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, warned that the system may not act fast enough. She called the current situation “drastically unsafe” and said that boosting NHS staffing levels remains essential to improving care.

Rob Hicks is a retired National Health Service doctor. A well-known TV and radio broadcaster, he has written several books and has regularly contributed to national newspapers, magazines, and online publications. He is based in the United Kingdom.