NHS doctors set out blueprint to accelerate safe use of AI in healthcare

New artificial intelligence tools could be introduced into the NHS under an “L-plate” style approval system designed to give patients faster access to new technology while protecting patient safety.

The National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare has published a major set of recommendations setting out how AI should be regulated and introduced across healthcare in the UK.

The independent Commission, led by practising NHS doctors Professor Alastair Denniston and Professor Henrietta Hughes, says the UK needs a new approach capable of keeping pace with rapidly developing AI technology. Its recommendations follow evidence gathered from more than 12,000 patients, members of the public, clinicians, healthcare leaders, technology developers and industry representatives.

The Commission found broad public support for greater use of AI in healthcare, but that support came with clear conditions – including strong safety standards, human oversight and transparency about when AI is being used in someone’s care.

One of its central recommendations is the introduction of staged authorisations for new AI models. Similar to an “L-plate” system for learner drivers, new technology could initially be deployed under close supervision and strict safeguards.

Developers would then have to demonstrate that their technology was safe and effective in real-world healthcare settings before receiving fuller authorisation. The Commission believes the approach could allow NHS patients to gain earlier access to promising AI technology without abandoning safety controls.

It has also called for AI-enabled medical devices to be continuously monitored throughout their working lives rather than relying on a single approval before they enter use. This is considered particularly important because some AI systems can evolve and perform differently once they are deployed in real healthcare environments.

The Commission also wants patients and the public to have easier access to information about the safety of individual AI medical devices, including details of adverse incidents.

Patients should also be appropriately informed when AI is being used as part of their care. Professor Denniston, NHS consultant and chair of the Commission, said new technologies needed to “earn their place and earn our trust”.

He said: “These technologies need to show that they are safe, effective and bring benefits to patients, staff and the wider NHS, without leaving people behind.” He added that evidence gathered by the Commission showed people were open to AI improving their healthcare, but only when it was safe, overseen by humans and patients knew when it was being used.

AI is already being deployed within the NHS for purposes including identifying strokes and skin cancers and reducing administrative work through voice-enabled technology. The NHS is also significantly expanding its use of the technology as part of its wider digital transformation programme.

Professor Hughes, an NHS GP, deputy chair of the Commission and Patient Safety Commissioner for England, said patients wanted AI to support rather than replace healthcare professionals.

She said: “Patients have told us that to trust AI is safe, they want to know when it’s used, that it supports rather than replaces clinicians, and that there is clear accountability if things go wrong.”

The recommendations also include calls for stronger enforcement powers for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), allowing the regulator to intervene where AI systems fail to meet required standards.

Lawrence Tallon, chief executive of the MHRA, said AI offered opportunities to speed up and improve care while freeing clinicians to spend more time on the human aspects of looking after patients. However, he said those opportunities would only be realised with a modern regulatory framework that protected patients and maintained public and professional confidence.

The Commission was established by the MHRA in September 2025 and brought together expertise from healthcare, regulation and artificial intelligence in the UK and internationally. The government and MHRA will now consider its recommendations before issuing a formal response.

Stay informed with the stories shaping health and social care.