As reported byDigital Health, an independent evaluation of the NHS AI Lab has found that a nationally coordinated approach to AI is urgently needed to scale and sustain its impact
Launched in 2019 with a £250 million investment from NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the NHS AI Lab aimed to accelerate the safe and effective use of AI technologies to tackle some of the UK’s most significant health challenges, including earlier cancer detection, dementia treatment, and personalised care.
In March 2024, NHS England commissioned researchers from the University of Edinburgh to conduct an independent evaluation of the AI Lab to determine whether it had achieved its goals. The final report, published on 29 April 2025, concludes that the Lab has been instrumental in supporting emerging innovations and creating a better understanding of how to develop, implement and evaluate AI in real-world healthcare settings.
However, the report also finds that digital transformation across health and care remains “slow and uneven”, and that the broader systemic impact of AI interventions has been difficult to measure.
The evaluation recommends a comprehensive, coordinated strategy to enable meaningful AI adoption. Key proposals include building workforce capability, encouraging knowledge-sharing communities, creating infrastructure and designing fit-for-purpose regulation and market management. It also stresses that future AI development must be “firmly rooted in system and service user needs”, calling for meaningful involvement from frontline staff, service providers and the public.
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