Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that local authorities using artificial intelligence to assess adult social care needs retain appropriate human oversight and safeguards for vulnerable people.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare was established to bring together independent expertise and evidence to inform the Governmentâs development of a 'future readyâ regulatory framework for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare.
Through its work, The National Commission has recommended that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) move to a more proportionate, lifecycle-based approach to regulation of AI products. This includes ensuring regulatory decisions are based on the risks and benefits of the specific device and introducing more ongoing, responsive post-market surveillance expectations and approaches, which will enable regulators to better detect and understand changes in safety and performance across the product lifecycle. The Commission also made a series of recommendations to further support clinical safety and governance, including requiring manufacturers to define the operational conditions needed for safe deployment of AI technologies, supporting providers to demonstrate the âAI readinessâ needed for safe deployment, and coordinated training of professionals to enable safe use. More information can be found in The National Commissionâs recommendations report, a copy of which is attached. The Government will formally respond to those recommendations in the normal way in due course.
If an AI system providing real-time guidance during surgery meets the definition of a medical device, then the device would be required to comply with existing medical device regulations, including for safety and performance.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that artificial intelligence systems used to provide real-time guidance during surgery are subject to appropriate clinical safety and governance standards.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare was established to bring together independent expertise and evidence to inform the Governmentâs development of a 'future readyâ regulatory framework for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare.
Through its work, The National Commission has recommended that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) move to a more proportionate, lifecycle-based approach to regulation of AI products. This includes ensuring regulatory decisions are based on the risks and benefits of the specific device and introducing more ongoing, responsive post-market surveillance expectations and approaches, which will enable regulators to better detect and understand changes in safety and performance across the product lifecycle. The Commission also made a series of recommendations to further support clinical safety and governance, including requiring manufacturers to define the operational conditions needed for safe deployment of AI technologies, supporting providers to demonstrate the âAI readinessâ needed for safe deployment, and coordinated training of professionals to enable safe use. More information can be found in The National Commissionâs recommendations report, a copy of which is attached. The Government will formally respond to those recommendations in the normal way in due course.
If an AI system providing real-time guidance during surgery meets the definition of a medical device, then the device would be required to comply with existing medical device regulations, including for safety and performance.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that artificial intelligence tools used in healthcare are subject to appropriate approval and continuous monitoring of safety and performance after deployment.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare was established to bring together independent expertise and evidence to inform the Governmentâs development of a 'future readyâ regulatory framework for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare.
Through its work, The National Commission has recommended that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) move to a more proportionate, lifecycle-based approach to regulation of AI products. This includes ensuring regulatory decisions are based on the risks and benefits of the specific device and introducing more ongoing, responsive post-market surveillance expectations and approaches, which will enable regulators to better detect and understand changes in safety and performance across the product lifecycle. The Commission also made a series of recommendations to further support clinical safety and governance, including requiring manufacturers to define the operational conditions needed for safe deployment of AI technologies, supporting providers to demonstrate the âAI readinessâ needed for safe deployment, and coordinated training of professionals to enable safe use. More information can be found in The National Commissionâs recommendations report, a copy of which is attached. The Government will formally respond to those recommendations in the normal way in due course.
If an AI system providing real-time guidance during surgery meets the definition of a medical device, then the device would be required to comply with existing medical device regulations, including for safety and performance.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the adoption across the NHS of artificial intelligence systems that can assist surgeons in planning and delivering precision surgery.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Our 10-Year Health Plan commits to expanding robotic assisted surgery (RAS) adoption over the next decade. In 2025, NHS England published the first national guidance for the implementation of RAS in the National Health Service, offering guidance on procurement, commissioning, implementation, training, and evaluation.
A national steering committee, with representation from across the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Office for Life Sciences, the NHS Supply Chain, the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, and clinical leads from a range of NHS provider trusts, is in place to support the RAS programme to deliver Government commitments. This committee also looks at innovation in robotic assisted surgery, including artificial intelligence.
The programme team engages regularly with suppliers of surgical robotic platforms to ensure adoption is aligned with the latest technological developments in RAS.
Decisions to offer RAS are agreed at an integrated care board and trust level, in line with local population need.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to strengthen the cyber resilience of companies providing technology and digital services to the NHS.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As I set out in my answer of 3 July 2026 in response to the Noble Lordâs question HL8927, we have a dedicated workstream in the Cyber Improvement Programme that is focused on this particular risk, developing tools and processes to increase cyber assurance and resilience. In May 2025, we published the cyber security supply chain charter, designed to support suppliers and their customers in reducing the likelihood and impact of a cyber incident.
For ease of reference, HL8927 has been reproduced below:
In the past year we have invested ÂŁ37.6 million across health and social care, building on the ÂŁ338 million invested since 2017. Through our ambitious Cyber Improvement Programme, we are tackling the changing cyber risk head-on, expanding protection and services to better protect the health and care system.
The health and social care supply chain is large and complex. We have a dedicated workstream in the Cyber Improvement Programme that is focused on this particular risk, developing tools and processes to increase cyber assurance and resilience.
Published in May 2025, the cyber security supply chain charter is designed to support suppliers and their customers in reducing the likelihood and impact of a cyber incident. The eight statements contained within the charter are fundamental security measures that should be reasonably expected from suppliers to help secure their organisation.
In September 2024, the National Cyber Security Centreâs Cyber Assessment Framework was implemented into the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) for large National Health Service organisations. This enables them to understand and manage their own cyber and information governance risks, while maintaining the high standards necessary to protect patients. Over 56,000 organisations completed a DSPT assessment for 2023/24. As of July 2024, 82% of NHS trusts, or 172 trusts, had met or exceeded the standard.
72% of adult social care providers are now compliant with the DSPT, and the Government funded Better Security, Better Care programme continues to support care providers to prioritise safety and security when handling the data of those drawing on care.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technologyâs upcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will help us address the evolving cyber threat to our supply chain. It will strengthen our defences and ensure that essential healthcare services are better protected.
Through the Cyber Operations division in NHS England, we are able to respond to the ever-changing threat landscape and monitor security threats to IT systems and networks. Cyber Operations provide a range of specialist services that help NHS organisations manage cyber risk, and these are delivered through a range of centrally funded products and services.
We work to ensure that patient data and information is stored in systems that are safe and secure. We do this by providing services, guidance, and support to health and care organisations.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the adoption of artificial intelligence systems that can assist in the early detection of heart disease across the NHS.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is exploring the role and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the earlier detection and diagnosis in a range of clinical specialties, including cardiovascular disease. This includes the safe and effective adoption of AI tools such as AI-assisted echocardiography, automated electrocardiogram interpretation, and digital stethoscope recordings through robust regulatory and assurance processes.
NHS Englandâs physiological sciences strategic framework clearly positions AI as a key enabler of community-based diagnostics, supporting faster and more standardised analysis of electrocardiograms and imaging tests.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the use of artificial intelligence clinical transcription tools to reduce NHS waiting times and administrative burdens.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is supporting the safe and effective use of artificial intelligence (AI) clinical transcription tools, also known as ambient voice technology (AVT), where they can reduce administrative burden and free up clinicians to spend more time with patients. NHS England has published national guidance to support National Health Service organisations to adopt AI-enabled AVT products safely, including expectations on clinical safety, information governance, data protection, transparency, and clinician review of outputs. NHS England is in the process of mobilising a programme to support the safe adoption of AVT.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of artificial intelligence to support the early identification of hospital-acquired infections in NHS hospitals.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency is currently exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) technologies may be used across a range of public health analyses and threat identification.
Hospital acquired infections (HAIs) are a major public health concern because bacteria in healthcare settings are often exposed to antibiotics, increasing the likelihood that they will develop resistance. These resistant infections are more difficult to treat and can lead to poorer patient outcomes. Through the Pathogen Risk Intelligence Modelling Project, we are generating metagenomic data from wastewater and air samples collected in hospitals and using AI and, in particular, supervised machine learning, to track the spread of antimicrobial resistance between different types of bacteria. Wastewater metagenomic surveillance is a cost-effective approach that provides a broad picture of microbial communities without targeting specific species. Our aim is to detect emerging resistance early, enabling healthcare professionals to take timely infection prevention and control measures. We are currently evaluating the performance of this approach to determine how effectively it can identify and monitor antibiotic resistance in realworld healthcare settings.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of artificial intelligence chatbots and other artificial intelligence tools to provide mental health and wellbeing support.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Through the Mental Health Strategy, which will build on the ambitions set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will explore how digital and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies can support better mental health.
We recognise that more people are using generative AI chatbots for mental health advice and support given the unacceptably long waiting times to access support from trained professionals, and the potential risks that they pose, particularly when people seek support from AI chatbots during moments of acute distress.
Digital and AI tools in mental health care can enhance and complement the work of qualified counsellors and psychotherapists. For example, NHS Talking Therapies now offers mental health support through chatbots such as Limbic Access and Wysa, which support patients with completion of self-referral, pre-assessment data collection and help therapists with assessment and triage.
However, the Government is clear that AI chatbots must not replace advice and support from trained medical professionals. Publicly available AI applications that are not deployed by the National Health Service are not regulated as medical technologies. Users are strongly advised to be careful when using unregulated AI applications.
The Government is committed to improving NHS mental health services, so patients receive the right mental health support at the right time, in the right place.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the safeguards required for the use of artificial intelligence to triage patients through the NHS app.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to safeguarding patients as part of the shift from analogue to digital National Health Services, as set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency regulates artificial intelligence (AI) tools that provide clinical assessment to ensure they are safe for patient use in the NHS. NHS organisations deploying such tools must also comply with risk management standards and with the Digital Technology Assessment Criteria.
NHS England is developing national triage standards setting out the clinical principles, urgency thresholds, and performance expectations against which any AI-enabled triage will be assured before use and continuously evaluated against.
The Government has also established the National Commission into the regulation of AI in healthcare, which will advise on the future regulatory framework of AI.