The NHS Confederation has set out five proposals for supporting the use of AI in communications in the health service.
They are within an engagement paper, developed with the AI in NHS Communications Taskforce, and accompanied by a survey for communications professionals in the sector.
The confederation said this has come as healthcare organisations grapple with the implications of the emergence of AI for communications.
First of the proposals is the development of a national operating framework for using AI in communications across the NHS, collaborating with stakeholders such as staff, patients, regulators and industry partners.
It will define goals, priorities and standards to align with broader NHS strategy and the Government Communications Service’s police on generative AI.
Second is to establish and innovation hub for knowledge exchange, technical development, testing, guidance and training.
Insights and feedback
Third is the establishment of an NHS communication AI community of interest group from various backgrounds and organisations. Its members could share practical insights and feedback on how they use AI to communicate with staff, patients and communities.
Fourth is the creation of an AI communications ethics framework, addressing crucial issues such as data protection, privacy, consent, fairness, transparency and human oversight. It would be informed by the NHS Code of Conduct for Data Driven Health and Care Technology, the NHSX AI Ethics Initiative and the Government Communications Service’s Framework for Ethical Innovation.
Fifth is to implement and monitoring and evaluation system, reporting on the performance, outputs and impact of AI communications systems and practices. This would be used to update policy and the operating framework.
“The future of AI in NHS communications is certainly not predetermined,” the paper says. “By working together, we can harness the power of AI to enhance our communication, improve our services, and, ultimately, better serve the health and wellbeing of all.”
