NHS Confederation responds to the Labour Party’s plans to use AI to cut waiting lists

Responding to the Labour Party’s plans on using AI to cut waiting lists, due to be announced at NHS Confed Expo, chief executive of the NHS Confederation Matthew Taylor said:

“There are huge opportunities for patients and the provision of care in technology but NHS leaders across the country routinely tell us of their frustrations with the challenges in adopting and rolling it out quickly and at scale.

“A focus on improving the procurement of new technology and joining up data records will be welcome. Our report published this week, supported by Google Health, shows there is clearly an appetite amongst the public to use technology to self-manage long-term conditions, live healthier, intervene earlier and access more tailored treatment.

“The reality however is that more funding will be needed to ensure NHS services can adopt and implement these new technologies successfully over the years ahead. NHS capital has been persistently underfunded in the last 10 years leaving the health service with a £10 billion maintenance backlog and coupled with short-term capital allocations these issues are preventing health leaders from securing and rolling out the latest technology to their patients.

“In addition, addressing the NHS workforce crisis is critical to ensure there are enough staff trained in using the latest technology and it is essential patients’ are empowered to use technology so that we deliver greater digitisation with equity in mind. A failure to do so will further entrench health inequalities.

“NHS leaders will be listening with interest to the Shadow Health Secretary’s speech this afternoon and will have the opportunity to probe these points with questions afterwards.”