Working to ensure an insight-led approach to the use of AI in healthcare in Sussex

A Sussex Artificial Intelligence Task and Finish Group has been established by the Sussex Digital and Data Delivery Board to share initiatives and progress about the use of AI in healthcare. Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex has been supporting the Sussex Health and Care system to explore opportunities to use AI within healthcare, with CEO Hatim Abdulhussein chairing the AI Task and Finish Group.

It is imperative that plans to use AI are informed by insight from our people and communities to ensure public trust, and to buildconfidence with the use of the tool.

Insight has been sought from people and communities in Sussex on the use of AI through an online survey, and a special session of the Sussex Digital and Data People’s Panel which was attended by Health Innovation KSS CEO Hatim Abdulhussein, Senior Digital and Data Involvement Manager Isabel Clark and Innovation Lead George Anibaba.

The Digital and Data People’s Panel was established in November 2023 to ensure the views of people and communities are at the heart of digital and data services. Membership includes carers, existing Digital Citizens, people with lived experience of physical and mental health conditions, people who are less digitally able, ethnically diverse communities, members of the Trans Non-Binary and Intersex communities, Healthwatch and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) partners. 12 meetings have already taken place.

Insight from people and communities across Sussex highlighted:

• High levels of public awareness of the use of Artificial Intelligence within healthcare (83%).
• General support for the use of AI within healthcare – top benefits identified were: using AI to review scanned images to look for abnormalities (i.e. brain tumours) (10.7%), detection of early stages of diseases (9.7%) and capturing medical history (9.1%). Reducing staff capacity (2.6%) was listed as the lowest reason for the use of AI.
• Genuine public concerns about the use of AI, included: accuracy of the AI (16.3%), misleading or false medical advice from AI (15.5%), and data being held by a Third Party provider who owns the AI tool being used (15.4%). There were significant concerns about Private Companies using AI within healthcare (32.4%).
• Public reassurances on the use of AI included co-designing a set of principles on the use of AI, clear communications on the “Who, What, Why, When and How” around the use of AI in healthcare is needed, ensuring AI is informed by diverse, representative and quality data.

“There is no doubt that the advent of AI driven solutions will have a dramatic impact on society. I believe it is incumbent on us all to ensure that such technology is harnessed to the betterment of citizens in the UK, particularly in respect to the NHS where its beneficial impact could be dramatic. I am delighted that the Sussex Peoples Panels role will now be expanded to include this aspect of digital health and how through the panel the public will gain trust in its use.” – Steve Smith, Chair of the Sussex Digital and Data People’s Panel.

“Involving people and communities in the use of AI in the NHS is essential for building public trust, and confidence. By ensuring an insight and population led approach through the Sussex Digital and Data People’s Panel, we can ensure AI meets the needs of people and communities, improves health outcomes and reduces health inequalities.” – Isabel Clark, Senior Digital and Data Involvement Manager, Health Innovation KSS.

“Starting to explore the vast topic of AI within our Digital and Data People’s Panel allowed us to explore as a group some of the key areas of concern and uncertainly as well as celebrating the potential benefits we can gain from the inclusion of AI into our care coordination and delivery.  We look forward to further discussions around this topic to support the building of public trust, and confidence in the use of AI in our care.” – Amy Killick, Deputy Head of Service Design, Digital Transformation, NHS Sussex

Further insight into people’s views on the use of AI in healthcare can be accessed via the Sussex Insight Bank.

Work is now underway to produce a set of principles around the use of AI within healthcare for Sussex.