A group of agencies including the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has launched an online advice service to help the care system and NHS make use of digital and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

The AI and Digital Regulations Service provides guidance for NHS and social care adopters and digital health innovators. It includes a website providing centralised, curated and up-to-date regulatory content and access to specialist support for developers and adopters of AI and data-driven technologies. The service can also respond to individual enquiries, making connections with relevant services or system partners. 

The AI and Digital Regulations Service is a multi-agency collaboration between the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the Care Quality Commission, the Health Research Authority and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). It is funded by the NHS AI Lab.

Mark Chapman, interim director of medical technology at NICE, said:  “This service will help developers and the NHS come together to effectively deploy impactful AI and digital technologies. It provides useful and useable guidance on how to identify, pilot and roll out such technologies.”

Dr Laura Squire, MHRA chief quality and access officer, said: “This innovative advice service will not only benefit developers and NHS adopters – it will also assure clinicians and provide them  with confidence when using these cutting-edge technologies to provide care for patients across the UK.”