AI in healthcare: exploring innovation in the NHS

The COVID-19 pandemic has undeniably showcased new ways of delivering care to patients within the NHS, not least through the increased use of digital, technological and AI-based healthcare solutions. The immediacy and necessity of the response paved the way for health tech adoption at a pace unencumbered by prior levels of red tape and underpinned by a desire to work in'new' ways for what was a'new' challenge at the time. Technological innovation has supported health services in numerous ways, including with making significant decisions around capacity and priorities, through the increased remote monitoring of patients, and by allowing more effective communication among the workforce. Having said this, the long-standing barriers to innovation faced by health tech companies have not been, and are unlikely to be, substantially dismantled. While the market access landscape has evolved for companies over recent years, with a number of positive initiatives within the national architecture acting as a'pull' for innovation, the adoption challenge largely remains entrenched.