A new artificial intelligence platform is being piloted across the NHS to free up hospital beds by accelerating patient discharges. The technology automates the completion of discharge documents, potentially saving hours of delays that currently keep patients waiting.
The system is being trialled at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust, where it extracts information from medical records including diagnoses and test results. This helps medical staff draft discharge summaries that must be completed before patients can be sent home from hospital.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: "This potentially transformational discharge tool is a prime example of how we're shifting from analogue to digital as part of our 10-year health plan. We're using cutting-edge technology to build an NHS fit for the future and tackle the hospital backlogs that have left too many people waiting too long. Doctors will spend less time on paperwork and more time with patients, getting people home to their families faster and freeing up beds for those who need them most."
Digital transformation drive
The tool operates on the NHS Federated Data Platform, a shared software system designed to help health and care organisations collaborate more effectively. Healthcare professionals review the AI-generated documents before using them to discharge patients or refer them to other services.
According to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the current manual system can sometimes leave patients waiting for hours to be discharged, as doctors may be too busy to fill in forms. The discharge system forms part of a wider government push to integrate AI across public services.
Technology is also being deployed to all 12,000 probation officers later this year, with systems that help transcribe and organise notes from meetings with offenders after prison release. Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said during a visit to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital: "This is exactly the kind of change we need, AI being used to give doctors, probation officers and other key workers more time to focus on delivering better outcomes and speeding up vital services."
Productivity targets
Kyle said the government inherited a public sector "decimated by years of underinvestment and is crying out for reform." The government targets £45 billion in productivity gains from AI implementation across the public sector.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced in January that AI would be used to "turn around" the economy and public services. The AI tool for discharge summaries is one of several projects backed by the Prime Minister as part of the government's approach to digital transformation.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
