Surrey AI Roundtable Series: Co-designing a blueprint for safe and scalable AI adoption in Surrey Heartlands

Summary 

The Surrey AI Roundtable Series, co-led by NHS Surrey Heartlands and Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS), brought together over 50 stakeholders from healthcare, academia, and industry to co-develop a strategic blueprint for responsible AI adoption. Through three interactive roundtables and two task and finish groups, the initiative explored governance, trust, clinical readiness, and education needs. The result is a scalable framework aligned with national priorities and tailored to local system challenges, setting the foundation for safe and effective AI integration across Surrey Heartlands. 

Challenge 

AI adoption in healthcare is often fragmented, with limited clarity around governance, safety, and clinical integration at the local level. Surrey Heartlands faced the challenge of creating a system-wide framework to responsibly scale AI solutions, build workforce confidence, reduce inefficiencies, and future-proof the local health and care system.  

Approach 

Health Innovation KSS led the design and facilitation of the Surrey AI Roundtable Series using a co-design methodology guided by the ‘Double Diamond’ approach: 

• Discover: Engaged over 50 stakeholders across primary, secondary, mental health, academia, and industry to gather rapid insights. 

• Define: Framed key challenges and prioritised areas for action. 

• Develop: Co-designed governance models for AI deployment and clinical use cases using digital personas, such as Ambient Voice Technology (AVT) in primary care 

• Deliver: Planned real-world pilots and developed an evaluation framework. 

The initiative was delivered via: 

• 3 strategic roundtables (July 2024 – March 2025) 

• 2 task and finish groups 

• Development of a Strategic Outline Case (SOC) for AI adoption 

Impact 

The programme has already delivered tangible outcomes, including improved alignment with national AI assurance frameworks and strengthened system readiness and stakeholder confidence. Early signs indicate improved cross-sector collaboration, a stronger system voice in national AI discussions, and a clearer pathway for responsible AI scaling.  

Anticipated benefits include reduced admin burden, optimised social care, and enhanced mental health diagnostics. Long-term cost-savings are also predicted through reduced inefficiencies, improved retention via lower burnout, and administrative automation. 

Spread and scalability 

While still in early stages, this programme has set the foundation for responsible scaling, informed local strategic priorities, and strengthened system readiness. 

The blueprint is designed to be scalable across other Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) with local adaptation. The next phase includes finalising the blueprint, piloting AI deployments in real-world settings and engaging frontline staff and communities through education and outreach. 

Find out more 

Exploring the art of the possible for Ambient Voice Technologies in Surrey Heartlands