Institution's comments on the Taxpayers’ Alliance report on the NHS and automation

Dr Sylvain Jamais, Chair of the Biomedical Engineering Division at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, comments on the Taxpayers’ Alliance report on the NHS and automation:

The NHS is the UK’s largest employer and would undoubtedly benefit immensely from embracing automation. Healthcare is predicted to be the sector which will be most affected by AI in the coming years; transforming patient diagnosis, care pathways and treatment.

There are already many digital technologies available to health practitioners, particularly in the area of automated patient monitoring. This is freeing staff from repetitive, routine tasks and enabling them to focus more on patient care.

The most significant challenge with AI will be finding appropriate ways to integrate it into the NHS’ existing systems, which are a long way from accepting such advanced technology. The case for automation needs to be carefully scoped and not all the perceived routine tasks will be good candidates for this kind of technology. 

However, this surge in automation must be supported by the development of suitable education and training opportunities both in and outside the NHS to ensure people have the right skills for this new digital age. Presently there are not enough clinical and biomedical engineers in the healthcare sector to ensure this type of digital technology can be implemented in a safe and effective way to benefit patients.

We have called on the Government to implement recommendations from the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy and the Topol Report to increase emphasis on medtech research & development and technical skills for clinicians to put the UK at the forefront of the automation revolution, which will undoubtedly benefit organisations such as the NHS.” 

Further detail can be found in our report Automation and Autonomy.

Notes to Editors

• For interview requests and queries contact the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Press Office on 07990 566412 or email media@imeche.org.
• The Institution of Mechanical Engineers was established in 1847 and has some of the world’s greatest engineers in its history books. It is one of the fastest growing professional engineering institutions. Headquartered in London, we have operations around the world and over 120,000 members in more than 140 countries working at the heart of the most important and dynamic industries such as the automotive, rail, aerospace, medical, power and construction industries. www.imeche.org.