NHS trust group joins European network for responsible use of AI

The University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL) and University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN) Group have joined the European Trustworthy and Responsible AI Network (TRAIN) for healthcare leaders on the continent.

UHL and UHN are the first in England to become members of the consortium, reflecting their work to test and embed AI solutions for the benefit of patients, communities and colleagues.

The organisations are trialling ambient voice technology to capture notes from patient consultations, working with Microsoft to develop AI in the use of clinical coding, and testing AI translation platforms that can convert health information videos into a range of languages within seconds.

TRAIN members will improve the quality, safety and trustworthiness of AI in health through sharing best practices and by facilitating the development of a federated AI outcomes registry for organisations to share amongst themselves, thereby ensuring data privacy is maintained.

Will Monaghan, group chief digital information officer at UHL and UHN, said: “The potential for AI to advance and improve healthcare is huge, and we are intent on realising its potential responsibly.

“Joining forces with organisations across Europe will mean we can share the knowledge and tools that will support ethical implementation.

“From ambient voice technology that can dictate patient notes and letters – acting as a clinicians’ scribe – to aiding early diagnosis in imaging, AI can be harnessed to improve patient outcomes. Freeing our clinicians’ time from administrative tasks brings the focus back to patient care.

“We are excited to be founding members of the European TRAIN expansion and, by working together, we can ensure AI solutions are rolled out safely and equitably, aligning our practices to the European Healthcare Standards.”

Established in the US in March 2024, TRAIN expanded to Europe, supporting organisations to operationalise responsible AI.

Meanwhile, in  a keynote speech at The Health Foundation event ‘Hype, hallucination, hope – what might AI mean for our health?’ in London on 13 February 2025, Hetan Shah, chief executive of The British Academy, said that the NHS and UK government “can’t just overlay tech on a failing service”.

His talk followed the launch of the government’s AI Action Opportunities Plan in January 2025, which prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said would make the UK “an AI superpower”.

The plan includes creating a national data library, planned to unlock the value of public data and support AI development.

Monaghan will be joined by Richard Mitchell, group chief executive for University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust and University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group, in a session at Digital Health Rewired 2025.

In a deep dive, the pair will share how a new next generation electronic patient record (EPR) is underpinning collaboration.

Rewired 2025 is taking place at the NEC in Birmingham on 18-19 March 2025. The event is free for those in the NHS and public sector. Private sector tickets are available from £495 +VAT.  Register here.