Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his oral statement of 9 January 2023 on NHS winter pressures, Official Report, column 287, what interventions using artificial intelligence his Department is considering for wider implementation.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department is funding the Artificial Intelligence in Health and Care Award, which is accelerating the testing and evaluation some of the most promising artificial intelligence (AI) technologies that can support clinicians in diagnosis, monitoring disease and managing health conditions at home.
The Award has provided more than £100 million to 77 AI technologies which are live in 53 hospitals in the United Kingdom.
The Department has also provided £800,000 to Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) to fund 16 data-driven projects, including ‘machine-learning’, to pin-point and overcome pressures in the health care system.
The HDR UK projects are due to start early this year and will share their findings later in the year.
The Department is also piloting operational efficiency and workforce productivity tools that can help significantly reduce elective care waiting lists, which will also help to relieve some of the pressures caused by winter. The tools have been developed as part of the NHS National Data Platform. During the proof-of-concept stage, they helped Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust achieve a 46% reduction in their inpatient waiting list, improved theatre utilisation by 6% and re-prioritised more than 2,000 patients.
This proof-of-concept has since transitioned to a pilot and the tools are now being tested in 27 trusts. The pilot will report its finding in March 2023.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for (a) routine screening appointments, (b) cancer treatment and (c) surgical procedures in the NHS.
Answered by Will Quince
The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’ sets out how the National Health Service will recover and expand elective services over the next three years. We have allocated more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25, in addition to the £2 billion Elective Recovery Fund and £700 million Targeted Investment Fund already made available in 2021/2022 to increase elective activity. This funding aims to deliver the equivalent of approximately nine million additional checks and procedures and 30% further elective activity by 2024/25 than pre-pandemic levels.
NHS England has committed to ensuring that 95% of patients who need a diagnostic test receive it within six weeks, by March 2025. The National Health Service will also work with patient groups and stakeholders to monitor and improve waiting times for outpatient appointments over the next three years.
NHS England has committed that 75% of patients who have been urgently referred by their general practitioner for suspected cancer are diagnosed or have cancer ruled out within 28 days by March 2024. Community diagnostic centres will increase diagnostic capacity and ensure earlier detection and increasing use of surgical hubs will reduce delays in treatment. NHS England is using innovative techniques and adopting pioneering technology such as artificial intelligence and robotic surgery and it has launched the My Planned Care platform, which provides data on average waiting times for every NHS provider.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to integrate AI technology into the health system.
Answered by Will Quince
The NHS Artificial Intelligence Laboratory was established in 2019 to accelerate the safe, ethical and effective adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in health and social care. It is funding research into testing 77 of most promising AI technologies through its Artificial Intelligence in Health and Care Award. These technologies are being tested in 65 hospitals, supporting more than 200,000 patients. The Laboratory is funding a multi-agency advisory service to streamline the regulatory pathway and research with the Health Foundation, to ensure AI meets safety and ethical standards. The Laboratory is also working with Health Education England to increase confidence in AI in the National Health Service workforce.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the role of digital technology in NHS (a) training and (b) professional development.
Answered by Will Quince
‘The Topol Review: Preparing the healthcare workforce to deliver the digital future’ published by Health Education England (HEE) in February 2019, assessed how to prepare the healthcare workforce through education and training. The review has strengthened ongoing workforce training and education while making further recommendations. Since its publication, HEE has engaged with system partners to implement the educational recommendations to support a digitally enabled health system.
In addition, HEE is addressing education and training needs through a range of digital and technological projects, programmes and services, including Digital, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Technologies in Education, Blended Learning, Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL), Virtual Hybrid Learning Faculty, the eLearning for healthcare Hub and TEL Simulation and Immersive Technologies Portfolio.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to assess the ethical implications of using artificial intelligence (AI) in the NHS.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
In February 2021, we launched the AI Ethics Initiative, as part of the NHS AI Lab, to support research and practical interventions that could strengthen the ethical adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in health and social care. The focus of the Initiative is to counter the inequalities which can arise as these technologies are developed and deployed. We are funding research to ensure AI accounts for the health needs of diverse communities and how it can improve health outcomes in minority ethnic populations. We are also funding research to discover insights and potential approaches to strengthen safeguards and parameters that govern the deployment of AI across healthcare, such as the potential to assess the societal impact before it is used.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional support is being provided for people in Enfield Southgate constituency who are on a waiting list for treatment at North Central London CCG; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of using innovative medical technology to support the CCG in clearing its backlog of patients.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We have made £2 billion available through the Elective Recovery Fund which assists local systems, including those in North Central London Clinical Commissioning Group, to tackle waiting lists. In addition, we have committed £8 billion between 2022 and 2025 to transform elective services and increase activity in England. A further £5.9 billion of capital funding was announced in the 2021 Spending Review to support elective recovery, diagnostics and technology.
Trusts in North Central London CCG are using all available resources to treat patients on waiting lists as quickly as possible, while prioritising those with the most urgent health needs. This includes providing surgery seven days a week; operating additional outpatient clinics; investing in new equipment for high-volume procedures; developing clinical networks and temporary specialist surgical hubs; and the use of independent sector beds and theatres.
In addition, Chase Farm Hospital are using artificial intelligence to improve efficiency. In North Central London CCG, a community audiology-led clinic is being supported by tele-video-otology, to reduce unnecessary hospital visits and allow surgeons to focus on complex cases in their clinics. The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is sharing its expertise in robotic process automation to improve on productivity and allowing staff to be returned to patient-centred activities.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional support his Department is providing to patients on waiting lists in North Central London CCG; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of using innovative medical technology to support the CCG is clearing its backlog of patients.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We have made £2 billion available through the Elective Recovery Fund which assists local systems, including those in North Central London Clinical Commissioning Group, to tackle waiting lists. In addition, we have committed £8 billion between 2022 and 2025 to transform elective services and increase activity in England. A further £5.9 billion of capital funding was announced in the 2021 Spending Review to support elective recovery, diagnostics and technology.
Trusts in North Central London CCG are using all available resources to treat patients on waiting lists as quickly as possible, while prioritising those with the most urgent health needs. This includes providing surgery seven days a week; operating additional outpatient clinics; investing in new equipment for high-volume procedures; developing clinical networks and temporary specialist surgical hubs; and the use of independent sector beds and theatres.
In addition, Chase Farm Hospital are using artificial intelligence to improve efficiency. In North Central London CCG, a community audiology-led clinic is being supported by tele-video-otology, to reduce unnecessary hospital visits and allow surgeons to focus on complex cases in their clinics. The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is sharing its expertise in robotic process automation to improve on productivity and allowing staff to be returned to patient-centred activities.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's announcement that £375 million will be made available for research into neurodegenerative diseases, published on 14 November 2021, whether the new Motor Neurone Disease Research Unit will focus on human relevant methods such as the use of advanced cultures of human cells and tissues, artificial intelligence and organ-on-a-chip technology.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Government delivers research on motor neurone disease (MND) through the Department of Health and Social Care, via the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and through the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, via UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The Government has committed £50 million for MND research over the next five years through the NIHR and UKRI and to establish the NIHR’s MND Research Unit to coordinate innovative research applications.
The NIHR and UKRI rely on researchers submitting high-quality applications to access funding. The usual practice of the NIHR and UKRI is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics, such as research on advanced cultures of human cells and tissues. All applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. We are launching a MND partnership call across Government and charity funders to support collaboration and accelerate the delivery of new treatments.
The NIHR’s funding is focused on translational, clinical and applied health and care research. Research on the use of advanced cultures of human cells and tissues and organ-on-a-chip technology will therefore not be in the remit of the NIHR’s MND Research Unit. The NIHR has funding streams to support health and care research that involves artificial intelligence.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's announcement that £375 million will be made available for research into neurodegenerative diseases, published on 14 November 2021, how much and what proportion of that funding will support research that uses New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), such as the use of advanced cultures of human cells and tissues, artificial intelligence and organ-on-a-chip technology.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Government delivers research on motor neurone disease (MND) through the Department of Health and Social Care, via the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and through the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, via UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The Government has committed £50 million for MND research over the next five years through the NIHR and UKRI and to establish the NIHR’s MND Research Unit to coordinate innovative research applications.
The NIHR and UKRI rely on researchers submitting high-quality applications to access funding. The usual practice of the NIHR and UKRI is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics, such as research on advanced cultures of human cells and tissues. All applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. We are launching a MND partnership call across Government and charity funders to support collaboration and accelerate the delivery of new treatments.
The NIHR’s funding is focused on translational, clinical and applied health and care research. Research on the use of advanced cultures of human cells and tissues and organ-on-a-chip technology will therefore not be in the remit of the NIHR’s MND Research Unit. The NIHR has funding streams to support health and care research that involves artificial intelligence.
Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing AI-driven mammography to (a) support radiologists and (b) increase capacity in the breast cancer screening programme.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There is currently no published evidence in large scale prospective trials that Artificial intelligence (AI) would be equivalent or better than the current model of having two independent human mammogram readers. AI continues to generate huge amounts of interest for its potential role in the NHS. There is interest in AI for breast screening, where it could replace a human reader of mammograms.
The United Kingdom National Screening Committee (UK NSC) and Public Health England have developed interim guidance for AI developers to help consider key metrics required that would assist the UK NSC to make a recommendation on the use of AI. Both are working with the NHS Accelerated Access Collaborative who are funding a large study in 2021 to understand whether AI can be a useful support to the programme. More information is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/aac/
More information about AI and screening can be found at the following link; https://phescreening.blog.gov.uk/2021/02/02/advice-for-nhs-breast-screening-services-on-the-use-of-ai/