£50m boost for AI to speed up deadly disease detection

Daily Telegraph Reporter ARTIFICIAL intelligence capable of spotting deadly diseases like cancer is to receive a £50million funding boost in a bid to speed up diagnosis times.

The extra cash is being awarded to three specialist centres based in Coventry, Leeds and London, delivering digital upgrades to pathology and imaging services across an additional 38 NHS trusts, the Department of Health and Social Care said.

It is hoped the technology will improve outcomes for millions of patients, providing a more accurate diagnosis and freeing up NHS staff time, as part of a government commitment to detect three quarters of cancers at an early stage by 2028.

Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, said: “Technology is a force for good in our fight against the deadliest diseases – it can transform and save lives through faster diagnosis, free up clinicians to spend time with their patients and make every pound in the NHS go further.

“I am determined we do all we can to save lives by spotting cancer sooner. Bringing the benefits of artificial intelligence to the front line of our health service with this funding is another step in that mission. We can support doctors to improve care and make Britain a world-leader in this field.

“The NHS is open and I urge anyone who suspects they have symptoms to book an appointment with their GP as soon as possible to benefit from our excellent diagnostics and treatments.”

The Government said the investment would allow centres to work with British businesses and thereby support the economic recovery.

The Department of Health and Social Care said that since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 92 per cent of urgent cancer referrals have been investigated within two weeks and 85,000 people have started treatment.