Evaluation of NHS AI Lab calls for national support for AI initiatives

An evaluation of the NHS AI Lab has called for national support to ensure that AI initiatives can be scaled and sustained.

The NHS AI Lab was launched by NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in 2019 with £250 million investment to accelerate the safe adoption of AI in health and social care.

It was intended to work on some of the biggest healthcare challenges, including earlier cancer detection, dementia treatments and more personalised care.

In March 2024, NHSE commissioned researchers from the University of Edinburgh to carry out an independent evaluation of the programme and determine whether it had met its intended outcomes.

Alison Tweed, head of AI partnership at NHSE, told Digital Health News: “This independent evaluation represents the culmination of a unique five-year government major programme into AI and helps build the evidence base of how AI can be adopted in the NHS.”

The evaluation report, published by the University of Edinburgh on 29 April 2025, says that the AI Lab made “considerable progress” in supporting emerging innovations and learning how to develop, implement, deploy, and evaluate AI technologies.

However it adds that progress in the digital transformation of health and care has been “slow and uneven” with the impacts of long-term systemic interventions challenging to quantify.

“Scaling AI technologies has proved difficult, partly due to uncertainty surrounding procurement pathways, making it difficult to establish clear processes for adoption,” it says.

The evaluation adds that long-term vision and stability of leadership is a critical enabler for AI in health and social care, which involves creating “enduring strategic frameworks and visions that can weather leadership changes”, ensuring consistent progress over time.

It recommends a coordinated approach to foster innovation, including developing capabilities, building knowledge-sharing communities, establishing infrastructures, supporting implementation, and developing regulation and market management strategies.

Dominic Cushnan, director of AI, imaging and deployment, at NHSE said: “The findings from this report will inform the ongoing development of AI strategies and approaches that can help the NHS to make the strategic shift from analogue to digital in health and care.

“Helping to shape a future where AI will enhance patient care, operational efficiency and overall healthcare outcomes.”

The evaluation adds that AI development must be “firmly rooted in system and service user needs”, with involvement from service delivery organisations, frontline staff, and the public.

It highlights a risk that developed systems will not be adopted if they do not align with the needs of health and social care providers.

The evaluation also recommends that individual projects and larger programmes are rigorously assessed, ideally through longitudinal mixed-methods studies, with evidence being made central to the process of selecting and scaling technologies.

Professor Kathrin Cresswell, lead researcher on the evaluation at the University of Edinburgh, said: “The NHS AI Lab has been instrumental in positioning the UK at the forefront of delivering system-based change to promote AI-driven healthcare.

“This evaluation provides real-world empirical evidence and learning that can help to shape future efforts in the UK and internationally.”