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IET response to innovation in the NHS - Personalised medicine and AI call for evidence

The Institute of Engineering (IET) welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Science and Technology Committee's Innovation in the NHS:

Personalised medicine and AI call for evidence. Personalised medicine and artificial intelligence (AI) have the potential to transform healthcare across the UK. The IET supports the development of a robust, evidence-led framework that ensures safe, effective, and scalable deployment of personalised medicine and AI across the UK healthcare system. Key considerations such as the role of AI, health data research, infrastructure and deployment in practice must be holistically assessed to ensure success.

The IET recommends:

  • Collaboration between devolved nations: The IET recommends continued collaboration between devolved nations in the UK, to share data and best practices on how technology and personalised medicine is used.
  • Transparency on data sharing: The IET recommends the continued development of technical standards, transparent documentation expectations, and harmonisation with international frameworks. This will lead to the transparency of what data has been used to develop the AI tools that are being utilised for personalised medicine.
  • Transparency of how technology has been developed: The Responsible Handover of AI should be included as part of ethical guidance. Transparency around the data used is critical to ensure that we maintain trust and build public confidence in the use of their data.
  • Adoption of new technologies: The IET recommends that government updates and clarifies the central adoption scheme for new technologies to ensure that as innovation happens in the NHS it is still consistent.
  • Regulation and standards: The IET recommends the adoption of the global standard for securing AI models and systems (ETSI EN 304 223) in order to support a structured and robust cybersecurity assurance model and the routine use of continuous monitoring tools for detecting drift, anomalies, or unsafe behaviour across the lifecycle of artificial intelligence driven systems. We also recommend the continued development of technical standards, transparent documentation expectations, and harmonisation with other international frameworks.
  • Resilience: The IET recommends an infrastructure plan for power stability and connectivity, alongside targeted funding to ensure resilience and safe development of personalised medicine in healthcare. It is vital to consider the physical environments in which digital technologies and personalised medicine are deployed. This consideration extends beyond hospital settings. Articulating the infrastructure requirements, alongside the necessary financial investment, are important steps of implementing personalised medicine across prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
  • Upskilling and reskilling: The IET recommends that implementation of personalised medicine and AI is supported by cross sector experts to advise on upskilling workers and patients in the NHS to safely and efficiently use the technology and products being introduced. This plan will need to be constantly reviewed in line with changing technologies and requirements. Alongside this mitigating digital poverty and promoting health equity are essential to ensure that all patients benefit from new technologies.
  • National cyber-security campaign: Hospitals and healthcare facilities can be a target for hackers, the IET is calling on Government to run a cyber-security campaign to help patients and healthcare professionals, as well as the wider public, to protect themselves against attack.