AI to be trialled at unprecedented scale across NHS screening
- Millions of patients could receive quicker diagnoses and treatment, as pioneering AI tools are tested on an unprecedented scale in NHS screening services, thanks to a ground-breaking new cloud system.
- A new AI research screening platform dubbed AIR-SP – backed by nearly £6 million in government funding – is being built by NHS England to enable trusts across the country to join trials of AI in screening to help speed up diagnosis.
- It will offer NHS staff access to revolutionary AI tools in trials to help analyse screening images and pinpoint abnormalities, including possible signs of cancer.
- UKRI backs cutting-edge projects, from home tests for endometriosis to AI for accessible travel, to grow into market-leading products and services.
- A new £9 million proof of concept programme spans medicine, space science, the environment and artificial intelligence (AI).
- The 48 projects are receiving funding to support and accelerate the development of new or improved technologies, products, processes and services.
Jess’s Rule: Three strikes and we rethink
- Jess’s Rule is a primary care initiative to encourage GPs teams to rethink a diagnosis if a patient presents three times with the same symptoms or concerns, particularly if symptoms unexpectedly persist, escalate, or remain unexplained.
- It is led by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England and is supported by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP).
Updated WHO dashboard offers new insights on antimicrobial resistance and use
- The World Health Organization (WHO) launched an enhanced version of its Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) dashboard, advancing global efforts to improve worldwide monitoring of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and use (AMU).
- The dashboard includes AMR and AMU data for the period 2016–2023, as reported by 141 countries, territories, and areas (CTAs) participating in the WHO global surveillance initiative.
- It presents data at global, regional, and national levels, including individual CTA profiles, and expands and complements the insights provided in GLASS reports. While the reports highlight key findings and offer actionable recommendations, the dashboard provides direct access to the underlying data, supporting transparent dissemination.
- The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has concluded the four-year £24m Pathogen Surveillance in Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (PATH-SAFE) programme, marking a major milestone in the UK’s efforts to detect and respond to threats from foodborne pathogens (FBPs) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
