AI tool that speeds up patient discharges trialled by NHS
The platform completes documents needed to send fit patients home, potentially saving hours of delays and freeing up beds.
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said the tech will enable doctors to spend less time on paperwork and more time focused on care, cutting waiting times in the process.
The platform, which is being piloted at Chelsea and Westminster NHS trust, extracts information from medical records, including diagnoses and test results.
This helps medics to draft discharge summaries, which have to be completed before a person is sent home from hospital.
The document is then reviewed by healthcare professionals responsible for the patient and used to send them home or refer them to other services.
The manual system can sometimes leave patients waiting for hours to be discharged, as doctors may be too busy to fill in forms, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said.
Streeting said: 'This potentially transformational discharge tool is a prime example of how we're shifting from analogue to digital as part of our 10-year health plan.
'We're using cutting-edge technology to build an NHS fit for the future and tackle the hospital backlogs that have left too many people waiting too long.
'Doctors will spend less time on paperwork and more time with patients, getting people home to their families faster and freeing up beds for those who need them most.'
Sign up to First Edition
Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters
after newsletter promotion
The tool will be hosted on the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP), a software system aiming to make it easier for health and care organisations to work together and provide better services to patients.
In January, Keir Starmer, the prime minister, said AI will be used to 'turn around' the economy and public services.
Elsewhere, the government has announced that technology shown to halve the time probation officers spend organising notes will be launched later this year. The system helps to transcribe and take notes in meetings that probation officers have with offenders after they leave prison.
AI is also being trialled across the NHS. The technology will analyse hospital databases and catch potential safety scandals early, providing an early warning system which could detect patterns or trends and trigger urgent inspections.
The first NHS AI-run physiotherapy clinic halved the waiting list for back pain and musculoskeletal services. More than 2,500 patients living in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough were able to access Flok Health, a physiotherapy app, over a 12-week period starting in February.
And the NHS in England is trialling a 'superhuman' AI tool that predicts a patient's risk of disease and dying early.
Speaking on a visit to Chelsea and Westminster hospital, the technology secretary, Peter Kyle, said: 'This is exactly the kind of change we need, AI being used to give doctors, probation officers and other key workers more time to focus on delivering better outcomes and speeding up vital services.
'This government inherited a public sector decimated by years of underinvestment and is crying out for reform.
'These AI exemplars show the best ways in which we're using tech to build a smarter, more efficient state.
'When we get this right across government, we're talking about unlocking £45bn in productivity gains, delivering our plan for change and investing in growth, not bureaucracy.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
10 minutes ago
- The Independent
Photos of Beijing's World Humanoid Robot Games show how a human touch is still needed
Humanoid robots raced and punched their way through three days of a multi-sport competition at the World Humanoid Robot Games, wrapping up Sunday in Beijing. But they also toppled, crashed and collapsed, requiring humans' help and leading to questions about how far, after all, the robots can go on their own. The games featured more than 500 humanoids on 280 teams from 16 countries, including the United States, Germany and Japan, that competed in sports such as soccer, running and boxing at the 12,000-seater National Speed Skating Oval, built for the 2022 Winter Olympics. The event comes as China has stepped up efforts to develop humanoid robots powered by artificial intelligence. Robots were often seen close to their operators, whether they were controlled remotely, held, lifted, sorted or separated. Batteries needed replacing and limbs tuned. Although the robots showed off some impressive moves, some tripped and human intervention was never far from the field. One had to be carried out by two people, like an injured athlete, in a display of the limitations the machines are still facing. Their effect on the audience, however, was not unlike that of real athletes. Cheers erupted when a robot landed a punch, scored a goal, or won a game, showing that viewers were genuinely invested in the machines' endeavors. AI-powered robots are expected to be increasingly used in industrial settings.
Auto Express
40 minutes ago
- Auto Express
It's incredible that no EV has got the full Electric Car Grant amount
As more cars become eligible for the Government's electric car grant, it's interesting that none of them yet qualifies for the higher £3,750 amount, with the total now sitting at 24 vehicles to choose from with a £1,500 contribution. With the latest batch of five including the likes of the Cupra Born, Volkswagen ID.3 and Peugeot 2008, there's now a decent array of cars included in the scheme, from the chic Renault 4 and 5 through to the practical, family-friendly Nissan Ariya – a former Auto Express Car of the Year! – the Vauxhall Frontera and the Renault Scenic. But it is interesting that nothing has yet achieved the full grant, especially as it's not clear from the outside how the calculations are being worked out. Advertisement - Article continues below Many industry commentators predicted the Renault 4 and 5 should be in pole position for the higher amount, but that didn't happen. That may have revealed something about where the batteries are coming from, and not all are yet being produced at the shiny new plant in northern France. When that facility is up to speed, there's a chance the Renault cars eligible for the grant – the 4, 5, Megane and Scenic are the ones that currently get £1,500 – could be moved to the higher level. But that's far from clear, due to the way the system has been set up. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below Want to make the switch to an electric car? Our fantastic Buy a Car service has loads of great value new and used electric cars available right now. I've heard some cynical types suggest glibly that the bar for eligibility for the full £3,750 has deliberately been set unachievably high, so the headlines featured a nice big number, but behind the scenes the Government knew full well that few cars, if any, were going to achieve it. I'm sure that wasn't the case, but the lack of clarity isn't helpful. From what I hear, even manufacturers don't know how close they have come to achieving the higher grant level – they can reapply if anything changes, such as battery supply coming from a different country. However, it sounds like there's little transparency as to why a car is only eligible at the lower level, and if it's down to the environmental credentials of where the batteries are built – coal reliance versus nuclear, for example. The big one will be when the UK-built Nissan Leaf goes on sale in the coming weeks; if that car isn't eligible, then I'm guessing nothing will be. At least the grant scheme will last longer if it's ebbing away at £1,500 a car, rather than nearly £4,000. Pessimistic early projections had it running out as soon as next spring if too many cars were eligible for the higher level. It's obvious that won't be happening now! Did you know you can sell your car with Auto Express? Get the highest bid from our network of over 5,500 dealers and we'll do the rest. Click here to try Auto Express Sell My Car now ... Find a car with the experts Forget Netflix, Volkswagen locks horsepower behind paid subscription Forget Netflix, Volkswagen locks horsepower behind paid subscription Owners can now subscribe to boost the power of their car… for a fee Shock new mid-size Range Rover to get EV power and stunning design Shock new mid-size Range Rover to get EV power and stunning design Mid-size SUV will end the four-year wait for a new JLR model and our exclusive images preview how it could look New Jaecoo E5 is a Range Rover lookalike with a very attractive price New Jaecoo E5 is a Range Rover lookalike with a very attractive price Chinese newcomer's first electric SUV is also a rival to the award-winning Kia EV3 and Hyundai Kona Electric
Daily Mirror
41 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Doctors names red flags to spot before booking filler that's 'too cheap to be true'
As the government cracks down on regulations in the aesthetics industry, we speak to world-leading cosmetic doctor Dr Rosh on the red flags to look out for before booking with a cheap practitioner It's no secret cosmetic procedures can be expensive - so it's no wonder people can be tempted to book with cheaper practitioners, but it comes at a huge risk. With so many cases of botched filler and Botox out there, most commonly from unregulated injectors, I spoke to world-leading doctor and specialist in aesthetics Dr Rosh on red flags to look out for before you book yourself in with an injector who's paying less than average for their services. Manchester becoming filler capital of the UK, there is so much filler available - you can get it out the back of a van, in a backroom of a hairdressers or even someone's basement. As a result Health Secretary Wes Streeting is to introduce a raft of new laws to deal with dodgy cosmetic surgery in the UK. On a mission to campaign against the unregulated beauty industry, Dr Rosh, a Manchester-based leading specialist is calling on change from the government in a petition to tighten the rules - including those who offer cheap treatments. He told The Mirror: "I find myself diffusing so many situations where people have been botched with unregulated filler and Botox. One patient I had told me she couldn't leave the house because it had affected her confidence so badly and this is where it's going to wrong. For more stories like this subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Weekly Gulp, for a curated roundup of trending stories, poignant interviews, and viral lifestyle picks from The Mirror's Audience U35 team delivered straight to your inbox. 'The problem with the UK is you have non-medics genuinely believing they are better than non-doctors. They say doctors should stick in the NHS, and non-medics think they are better. But they can't fix issues when they go wrong, they can't prescribe and they can't make things better if there are complications. Anyone can inject and they believe it's safe." So according to Dr Rosh, here are some of the bigget flags to look out for when booking in for cosmetic work... When filler is too cheap to be true The expert, who is loved by many big name celebrities said one of the biggest problems in the UK are the filler packages. He noted: "I find myself dissolving a lot of these packages. 5ML is just too much in one sitting, I limit myself to 3ml, and 5ml for an 18-year-old is too much, it needs to be done in a gradual way but people are doing it to just make money." Filler costs about £100/£120 for 1ml, so if someone is doing it for less than £200, which raises the alarm for Dr Rosh. "£60 filler is alarming, I don't know what they are injecting. People are making fake filler from home, and these fake products are becoming an epidemic," he added. "It's becoming such a saturated market and people are able to book in for a 5ML filler package for around £200/£300, everyone is in a race to be the cheapest. The fact people are selling it so cheap is so dangerous," and it raises the question of how are they doing it at less than the cost price of filler. Past medical history and allergies aren't checked before your appointment Dr Rosh also urged people to visit a prescribing professional, as those who aren't medically trained can't reverse issues or fix problems. "Poor injections are happening and when things go wrong, unregulated practitioners can't fix the issues and they can't manage complications effectively," he said. While the lower price may be tempting, it's also crucial to be checked over with any past medical history and allergies - and if that's not done in a consultation, alarm bells need to be rung. Your practitioner isn't insured In most countries including Dubai and Germany, procedures like these are always done by doctors who will be insured and able to fix any issues if they ever arose, but the expert argues it's becoming too easy for non-medics to inject without real training. He advises to always do your research and check if your injector is medically trained or not. "Every other country is doctor led, so why aren't we?' Anyone in this country can pick up a syringe and get insured and that's why we're seeing this bizarre and overfilled result and a lot of patient harm'. There's no aftercare contact or package According to research conducted by the Royal Society for Public Health, of the 1,617 complaints made to Save Face, the national register of non-surgical cosmetic treatment practitioners, over 4 in 5 complainants were ignored or 'blocked' by their practitioner when they sought help and over three quarters believed that their practitioner was uninsured or saw no evidence of adequate insurance. One of Dr Rosh's patients Bethany Roberts knew this all too well. When she was offered free filler in her nose, that led to a blocked blood vessel in her nose, she realised she wasn't given any number to call or aftercare advice to turn to when needing help. "I was informed of the risks, but in terms of the aftercare I didn't have anything or even a number to call, so at 5AM I had to go onto Instagram and was messaging everyone who worked at the clinic on their personal Instagram accounts telling them I knew I had a vascular occlusion and I need your help," she told The Mirror. Help us improve our content by completing the survey below. We'd love to hear from you!
