Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is being piloted to help free up NHS hospital beds being used by people who are fit to be sent home, officials have said.
A new platform, currently being trialled by Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust, uses AI to help fill out the documents needed to discharge a patient – potentially saving hours of delays.
The tool extracts information such as diagnoses and test results from medical records, helping staff to draft discharge summaries, which must be completed before a person is sent home from the hospital.
The document is then reviewed by healthcare professionals responsible for the patient and used to send them home or refer them to other services.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said the technology will allow doctors to spend less time on paperwork and more time on patient care, cutting waiting times in the process.
The tool will be hosted on the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP), a shared software system designed to make it easier for health and care organisations to work together and provide better services.
The current manual system can leave patients waiting for hours to be discharged as doctors may be too busy to fill in forms, according to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
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Mr 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.”
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The platform is one of a number of projects backed by Sir Keir Starmer, who in January said that AI would be used to “turn around” the economy and public services.
In May, the government announced it was rolling out an AI tool to test public feeling on different issues, which it said could save around £20m in staffing.
It has also been announced that technology shown to halve the time probation officers spend organising notes will be rolled out nationwide this year.
