Millions of patients could get faster diagnoses as artificial intelligence (AI) tools are trialled across NHS screening services through a new cloud-based research platform.
The AI Research Screening Platform (AIR-SP), backed by nearly £6m in government funding, is being developed by NHS England.
It will allow trusts across the country to join trials of AI in screening, helping to analyse images and detect abnormalities such as possible cancer signs.
Currently, 90 per cent of AI tools remain stuck in pilot phases, as each NHS trust must set up its own IT systems and databases.
The new platform will host multiple AI tools in one secure environment linked to all trusts, reducing costs and speeding up rollouts.
Wes Streeting, secretary of state for health and social care, said: “The AI revolution is here, and we are arming staff with the latest ground-breaking technology, so patients get faster and smarter care.
“As our world-leading scientists develop new lifesaving AI tools, this new cloud platform will see them rolled out to patients in research trials right across the country – so staff can treat patients quicker with cutting-edge tech.
“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.”
The system will take around two years to build and is due to be rolled out for research in 2027.
It will first support nearly 700,000 women taking part in a major trial funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), focusing on detecting changes in breast tissue that may signal cancer.
At present, multi-site AI research studies can cost up to £3.5m in IT setup. The new system is expected to save £2m–3m per study by reducing duplication and allowing multiple AI tools to be tested at once.
Dr Kevin Dunbar, NHS deputy director of public health, vaccination and screening, said: “This innovative cloud platform will help vastly accelerate research into the use of AI to enhance vital NHS screening programmes.
“By enabling trusts and patients across the country to participate in landmark AI trials in the coming years, it will combine cutting-edge technology with clinical expertise to improve care for patients as well as NHS productivity.”
Professor Lucy Chappell, chief scientific adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care and chief executive of NIHR, added: “In order to unlock the potential of AI in healthcare, we need digital infrastructure that enables researchers to rigorously evaluate these tools in real-world NHS settings, at speed and scale.
“This unified AI Research Screening Platform will help us to understand how AI can safely and effectively improve patient care, while speeding up the time it takes to set up AI research studies and reducing costs.”
