Hospitals are using artificial intelligence to help cut waiting times in NHS emergency departments this winter.
The A&E forecasting tool pinpoints when demand will be high, allowing trusts to better plan for shifts and bed space.
Officials said the technology allows healthcare staff ‘to do the things that they’re trained to do, rather than having to be bound down by bureaucratic processes’.
The forecasting tool is trained on historic data, including weather trends, to determine how many people are likely to visit A&E.
Ian Murray, minister for digital government and data, said: ‘The front door of the NHS is the A&E department.
You’ve no idea how many people will come through the door, although you can have some analytical evidence that Saturday nights might be busier than a Tuesday night, for example, and the winter might be busier than the summer, unless you have a heatwave, of course.
‘It helps us to predict how busy their A&E departments are going to be.
‘If you put that into context and see seasonal trends, along with how busy days are going to be, you can then put your resources in the right place.
Rows of ambulances parked outside Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, earlier this month
‘So you can have more consultants of a particular variety on. You can have more nursing staff on.
‘You can maybe then see about freeing up beds further down the pipeline, maybe see how you might need to get more people out of the hospital quicker, and free up those beds.’
Around 50 NHS organisations are already using the tool, and according to Mr Murray they are ‘seeing great results’.
He added: ‘It’s about concentrating what the NHS needs.
‘It’s about modernising the NHS, using the tools to allow clinicians and professionals to do the things that they’re trained to do, rather than having to be bound down by bureaucratic processes, allowing resources to be targeted where they need to be targeted.’
The latest NHS England figures show the number of people waiting more than 12 hours in A&E departments from a decision to admit to actually being admitted – so-called ‘corridor care’ – stood at 50,648 in November, down from 54,314 in October.
The number waiting at least four hours from the decision to admit to admission also fell, standing at 133,799 last month, down from 142,734 in October.
Some 74.2 per cent of patients were seen within four hours in A&Es last month, up slightly from 74.1 per cent in October.
Ian Murray, minister for digital government and data
The AI tool forms part of Sir Keir Starmer’s AI Exemplars programme.
In January, the Prime Minister said AI will ‘drive incredible change in our country’.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: ‘AI is already improving healthcare by speeding up diagnosis and unlocking new treatments.
‘Now we are going a step further.
‘By helping to predict demand, this AI forecasting tool is getting patients the care they need faster while supporting our incredible NHS staff.
‘That means easing pressure by ensuring the NHS is at the forefront of the latest technology during the busiest time of year.’
Professor Julian Redhead, national medical director for urgent and emergency care at NHS England, said: ‘Early and efficient planning is key to managing busy periods like winter, and new tech like the AI tool has the potential to make a real difference to the way we manage care for patients.’
The A&E forecasting tool is available to all NHS trusts in England.
