Rethink...medical data

Sir Keir Starmer says that the NHS is well placed for an AI revolution in health care.

The Health Secretary Wes Streeting says it could lead to huge advances in health care, from patient passports, which enable doctors to easily access a patient's full medical history, to early intervention - being able to assess a child's risk of disease from birth.

The NHS has a vast pool of information about our health, and unlocking its power is a noble aim: but can everything really be thrown straight into an AI, which will then pump out answers?

Inputting it presents a mammoth task; NHS data is in many places, the bits of information are not always compatible, nor are they easily accessible.

Also, medical records are hugely sensitive and private, so what safeguards need to be put in place before data researchers and medical tech companies can be given access?

What will be the most likely, realistic and achievable benefits of using AI in our healthcare system, and - if the NHS gets this right - what are the potential rewards for patients?

Presenter: Ben Ansell Producer: Ravi Naik Editor: Clare Fordham

Contributors: Dr Jess Morley, postdoctoral research associate at the Yale Digital Ethics Centre Professor Andrew Morris, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, and Director of HDR UK, the national institute for health data science Michael Shenouda, Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Medical Officer at Open Medical, and board member for the ABHI, The Association of British HealthTech Industries Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation