Tens of thousands of stroke patients across the country are benefitting from quicker treatment and improved outcomes thanks to government investment in cutting edge artificial intelligence (AI) to diagnose and determine the best treatment for patients who suffer a stroke. Early-stage analysis of the technology, which received funding from the first round of the government's AI in Health and Care Awards, shows it can reduce the time between presenting with a stroke and treatment by more than 60 minutes, and is associated with a tripling in the number of stroke patients recovering with no or only slight disability - defined as achieving functional independence - from 16% to 48%. Trailblazing AI technologies are revolutionising the health and care system making it fit for the future. These ground-breaking diagnosis and treatment tools are not only helping improve patient outcomes, but freeing up valuable clinician time, supporting hard working NHS staff who are working tirelessly to tackle the COVID backlogs. AI has the potential to transform our NHS - delivering faster, more accurate diagnoses and making sure patients can get the treatment they need, when they need it.

Thousands of patients and NHS staff will benefit from dozens of new pioneering projects awarded a share of £36 million to test state-of-the-art AI technology. The projects will help the NHS to transform the quality of care and the speed of diagnoses for conditions such as lung cancer. At CogX Festival today (16 June), the Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock announced the winners of the second wave of the NHS AI Lab's AI in Health and Care Award. Already over 17,000 stroke patients and over 25,000 patients with diabetes or high blood pressure have benefited from the first round of the AI in Health and Care Award since September, where £50 million was given to 42 AI technologies. AI has the potential to completely revolutionise every part of how we approach healthcare, from how we diagnose diseases and the speed at which our doctors and nurses deliver treatments to how we support people's mental health.

A project using artificial intelligence to develop digital triage tools for mental health clinicians (CHRONOS) has been successful in the latest round of the Artificial Intelligence in Health and Care Award. Oxford Health BRC was one of a handful of organisations to receive the funding, which was announced by the Health Secretary Matt Hancock on June 16. The AI Award is making £140 million available over four years to accelerate the testing and evaluation of artificial intelligence technologies which meet the aims set out in the NHS Long Term Plan. The Award means that Oxford Health BRC will be able to develop digital tools to make it easier for clinicians in secondary mental health care to rapidly identify the most appropriate treatments for their patients. This is the first time a mental health project has received the AI Award.

Navenio, the UK company that has pioneered indoor location-based artificial intelligence to revolutionise workflows and can double the throughput of hospital teams, has been successful in securing funding in the latest round of the Artificial Intelligence in Health and Care Award. Navenio was one of 38 organisations to receive the funding in the second round of the competition, with the AI Award making £140 million available to multiple applicants over four years to accelerate the testing and evaluation of artificial intelligence technologies which meet the aims set out in the NHS Long Term Plan. Through world-leading University of Oxford research, Navenio creates unique indoor location-based services, solving the problem that GPS doesn't work indoors without requiring any new infrastructure. The Award's aim is to increase the impact of AI-driven technologies to help solve clinical and operational challenges across the NHS and care settings. It aligns perfectly with Navenio's mission to help transform hospitals through ensuring the right person is in the right place, at the right time.

The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Award is run by the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) in partnership with NHSX and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). It will make £140million available over three years to accelerate the testing and evaluation of the most promising AI technologies which meet the strategic aims set out in the NHS Long Term Plan. The Award will support technologies across the spectrum of development: from initial feasibility to evaluation within the NHS. Initially, it will focus on four key areas: screening, diagnosis, decision support and improving system efficiency. The Award forms a key part of the AAC's ambition to establish a globally leading testing infrastructure for innovation in the UK.