The UK government will invest £36m in AI research technologies, which are designed to revolutionise NHS care detecting cancers and providing mental health support.
Some 38 projects will receive a share of the funds as part of the NHS AI Lab’s in Health and Care Award. These projects aim to improve care and the speed of diagnoses for conditions including lung cancer, heart attacks and mental health difficulties.
In this second wave of the NHS AI Lab’s AI in Health and Care Award funding will also be awarded to a team developing technology to identify undiagnosed spinal fractures.
Read more: AI-powered system helps radiologists detect fractures
According to the initiative, over 17,000 stroke patients and over 25,000 patients with diabetes or high blood pressure have benefited from the first round of the AI in Health and Care Award since September. The first round saw £50m given to 42 AI technology projects.
Health and social care secretary, Matt Hancock, said: “AI has the potential to completely revolutionise every part of how we approach healthcare, from how we diagnose diseases and the speed at which our doctors and nurses deliver treatments to how we support people’s mental health.
“The 38 projects we are backing reflect the UK’s trailblazing approach to innovation in the healthcare sector, and could help us take a leap forward in the quality of care and the speed of disease diagnoses and treatment in the NHS.
“Confronted with this global pandemic, our tech sector has risen to the challenge and upended how we do things through innovations to support people to test from home, complete remote consultations and diagnose issues safely.”
The AI in Health and Care Award will distribute £140m over three years, with the next round of applications set to open in late June.
Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, said: “Through our NHS AI Lab we’re now backing a new generation of ground-breaking but practical solutions to some of the biggest challenges in healthcare.
“Precision cancer diagnosis, accurate surgery, and new ways of offering mental health support are just a few of the promising real world patient benefits. Because as the NHS comes through the pandemic, rather than a return to old ways, we’re supercharging a more innovative future.
“So our message to developers worldwide is clear – the NHS is ready to help you test your innovations and ensure our patients are among the first in the world to benefit from new AI technologies.”
