15/01/2026
The NHS is at a pivotal moment in its digital evolution. Today at the Royal College of Physicians we have published our new report on AI and digital technology in the NHS: it’s an important, timely, and very grounded contribution to the debate.
There is huge potential in digital systems and AI to support clinicians, improve patient outcomes, and reduce inequalities. But in this report we are clear: the benefits will only be realised if these tools are implemented thoughtfully, safely, inclusively, and hand-in-hand with clinicians, with patient safety at the centre.
7 in ten physicians think the NHS is unprepared for AI.
Here are the ten recommendations (abbreviated from the full report)
1️⃣ Invest in reliable digital infrastructure and optimised EPRs so clinicians have tools that support safe care, productivity and innovation.
2️⃣ Set a national EPR content specification to ensure systems are consistent, usable, interoperable and AI-ready.
3️⃣ Establish national clinical standards for digital procurement, including safety and interoperability.
4️⃣ Standardise how NHS data are recorded and shared to ensure accuracy, security and usability.
5️⃣ Create central NHS-approved banks of algorithms, AI tools and apps that clinicians can trust.
6️⃣ Design digital and AI tools around clinical need, co-designed with clinicians and patients.
7️⃣ Embed digital and AI competencies across medical education and CPD to develop future clinical leaders.
8️⃣ Deliver a clear, ethical AI roadmap for the NHS that supports research and reduces inequalities.
9️⃣ Implement joined-up regulation for digital and AI systems to ensure safety and accountability.
🔟 Strengthen governance and safety systems for digital and AI, including learning from incidents and protecting patient data.
What I particularly value is the report’s realism: optimism about what AI can do, but no techno-solutionism. AI must support, not replace, clinical judgement. Digital transformation must be driven by clinical need, not by novelty, and must take a “digital plus” approach so we don’t worsen exclusion or inequality.
If we get this right, digital and AI tools can reduce administrative burden, support better decisions, improve patient experience, and help the NHS deliver safer, more equitable care. If we get it wrong, we risk new safety hazards, lost trust, and entrenched inequalities.
This report helps point firmly in the right direction.
Huge thanks to Anne Kinderlerer, Louise Forsyth and the whole RCP policy team, plus all the physicians, patients and experts who contributed their time and experience to shaping this work. It’s exactly the kind of clinically grounded, system-aware thinking the NHS needs right now.
https://www.rcp.ac.uk/news-and-media/news-and-opinion/the-nhs-is-fundamentally-unprepared-for-ai-7-in-10-doctors-say-the-nhs-is-not-digitally-fit-to-deploy-it/
The new RCP view on digital and AI report exposes a disconnect between doctors’ demand for AI and institutional capability and raises serious questions about the NHS's readiness to adopt AI tools safely. It recommends that the government and NHS must optimise digital systems, ensure digital inter...
