Patient safety must be at heart of NHS technology upgrade| News

No amount of new technology will avoid the need to invest in the nursing workforce, in the face of dangerous understaffing, growing demand and ever more complex needs, the RCN says.

We believe artificial intelligence (AI) and new digital technology must be deployed appropriately, with proper guardrails, staff training and anti-bias safeguards.

Our comments come in response to the announcement by NHS England setting out how £10 billion of funding over the next three years, allocated by the UK government last year, will be used for a major overhaul of the health service’s technology, digital and data systems.

While this could be an important step in upgrading technology in the NHS, improvements to basic information technology infrastructure must come first.

Some community nursing staff still don’t have mobile phones, while others working in the NHS are forced to share painfully slow computers with poor connectivity.

We recognise that technology such as AI notetaking could ease the administrative burden on nursing staff, freeing up their precious time for frontline care. But we’re warning against overly optimistic assessments of the productivity benefits from AI.

RCN Chief Nursing Officer Professor Lynn Woolsey said:

“Patient safety must be at the heart of any AI triage system, with a guarantee that a health professional will be the one making decisions at key points in that process. Patients must be reassured that any new systems handling their information, such as ambient voice technology, are accurate and properly protect confidentiality.

“Privacy and safety cannot be afterthoughts, with everyone deserving to know how and by whom their sensitive data is being used. To give staff confidence in the systems they are required to use there needs to be a proper plan for implementation and appropriate safeguards in place, ensuring the shift to new ways of working is properly managed.”

This is an opportunity for the incoming government to listen and engage with the staff who will have to use these new systems on a daily basis, and who are critical for ensuring the safety of patients.