An absence of strong national leadership in Artificial Intelligence means Scotland’s patients are not benefitting from the digital innovations that could transform their outcomes, according to a senior health board innovation manager.

JD Blackwood, AI lead for NHS Forth Valley - one of the only boards with a named person in charge of AI - told delegates at a Scottish Policy Conference event that, despite being the first country in the UK to introduce AI in diabetes screening in 2011, the AI landscape in NHS Scotland has “barely changed” in the last three years.  

The single largest barrier to implementation is funding, according to Mr Blackwood, with current arrangements meaning individual health boards are expected to fund projects they might not immediately benefit from.

A lack of coordination between Scotland’s health boards, all of which use different digital systems, capture different data in different ways and have different appetites for risk, has also led to “wasteful duplication”, he told delegates.

This also makes it difficult, costly and time intensive, he explained, to gather the local evidence needed to support national scale-up, even for projects supported through government-backed schemes like the Acceleratied National Innovation Adoption (ANIA) pathway.

Mr Blackwood, who previously led the now non-operational Industrial Centre for AI Research in Digital Diagnostics (iCAIRD) based at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital, said improvements in all these areas are dependent on national commitments from the Scottish government:

“Our health service is still not being served by advancements in research and innovation,” he told the conference.

“To be truly successful, we must have committed leadership in government, the health sector, and social care; leadership from people who understand and believe in the opportunity, and can navigate the landscape. Every country that's been successful in healthcare has specific AI leadership.

“I think these solutions are best financed from outside health boards, nationally and by government which, after all, has the mandate to improve the whole system.”

Health Secretary Neil Gray said earlier this year that the government intends to "empower and support NHS leadership in the use of these new technologies", rather than appoint single AI champions.

Mr Blackwood was speaking as part of a panel discussion on how Scotland can enable digital and data innovation growth.

Since AI delivers benefits nationally, he said Scotland needs to rethink the way it funds and procures AI solutions, to ensure patients can benefit equitably across the country – event those living in smaller health board areas.

A shortage of knowledge and skills among NHS staff was also raised as a key challenge.

AI is already used in NHS Scotland to help track bone growth in children, while the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre uses the technology to generate personalised treatment plans for radiotherapy patients.

Trials of AI solutions in new MRI scanners and in breast screening are also underway across the country.

Mr Blackwood said focusing on a patient's whole pathway will be key in deciding where AI can play a role in the future.

He also warned that the NHS must not overlook non-clinical uses of the technology:

“Whilst historically we focus on clinical AI, I think we need to shift our thinking towards a blend of clinical and non-clinical. Other industries are reporting up to 80% reductions in administrative overhead by using AI. So why can't we?

“I'd suggest that when we think of transforming our health service, we might best focus on whole clinical pathways such as breast cancer or lung cancer, and life cycle systems such as flow management, instead of single point solutions to niche problems.

“Patients see the health service as a journey – so should we.”

 

Read more: New service to bolster Scotland’s health research; New guidance on explaining health data use;

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