An AI project which successfully cut A&E attendances by a third has been greenlit for a wider rollout. Over 1,000 patients were involved in a trial of an AI system developed by Health Navigator at York Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust over the last four years. AI was used to identify patients at risk of unplanned hospital admissions. By highlighting these patients, nurses were deployed to help coach them over six months on how to improve their health and reduce the risk of visiting A&E. The trial resulted in a 30 percent reduction in unplanned hospital admissions and a 25 percent reduction in planned admissions.

Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group green-lit the scheme following a randomised control trial featuring around 1,000 patients treated at York Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust over the last four years. The trial used AI to identify patients, often with long-term conditions, who were at risk of an unplanned hospital admission. These patients then received coaching from nurses for up to six months to help them take greater control of their health. The trial reported a 30 per cent reduction in unplanned hospital admissions and 25 per cent decrease in planned admissions within the patient group which received the intervention, compared to the cohort which did not. The CCG will now fund health coaching for up to 1,800 patients.

NHS Vale of York CCG has rolled out predictive intervention technology to identify patients at risk of unplanned hospital care. Health Navigator uses analytics and machine learning techniques to identify patients who may benefit from health coaching, particularly those with long-term health conditions. Delivered by registered clinicians, the service is designed to support patients with complex conditions and empower them to take control of their health, thus reducing A&E admissions and unplanned emergency care. The project has been commissioned by NHS Vale of York CCG and aims to address the NHS's increasing demand for urgent and emergency care services, as highlighted in figures released by NHS Digital recently which showed that emergency admissions have peaked nationally. Evidence from a local randomised control trial (RCT) at York Teaching Hospital showed a 36% reduction in A&E attendances for patients supported by health coaching.