Hospitals across England are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to ease pressure on accident and emergency departments, as a new AI-powered forecasting tool is rolled out to help predict when demand will be at its peak.
The system, now used across 50 NHS organizations and available to all trusts, is designed to identify likely increases in A&E attendances days and weeks in advance. By analyzing a wide range of data, from historical hospital admissions and seasonal disease trends to temperature forecasts and Met Office day-of-the-week patterns, the tool helps managers plan staffing levels, bed capacity and resources more effectively.
Ministers say the technology will allow patients to be seen and treated more quickly during busy periods, while reducing last-minute pressure on frontline staff. The deployment comes as emergency services face increased winter demand, due to record cases of flu, cold-related injuries and seasonal illnesses. More than 18 million flu shots have already been delivered this fall, as the AI system continues to learn from changing seasonal health data.
For NHS staff, the forecasting tool provides clearer long-term planning and earlier warnings of potential bottlenecks, helping trusts put the right people in the right place before pressures intensify. For patients, the goal is to reduce waits and make traveling to urgent care easier during the busiest times of the year.
The initiative is part of the Prime Minister’s AI Exemplars program, which applies artificial intelligence in public servicesincluding health, education, justice, taxation and planning, to modernize systems and improve outcomes.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said AI was already transforming healthcare and demand forecasting marked the next step in that journey. She said the tool would help hospitals predict pressure points, treat patients more quickly and support NHS staff during the most difficult months of the year.
Health Innovation Minister Dr Zubir Ahmed said the technology would help hospitals manage winter pressures more effectively, particularly as flu cases increase. He described the rollout as part of a wider ambition to move the NHS from analogue systems to a digital future as part of the government’s 10-year health plan.
Initial feedback from NHS managers has been positive, with local leaders reporting improved decision-making around staffing and capacity. Integrated care boards in areas including Coventry and Warwickshire, as well as Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes, are already using the tool to support operational planning.
The forecasting system is one of several AI initiatives being rolled out under the Exemplars program. Other projects include AI-assisted diagnostics to help clinicians identify conditions such as lung cancer more quickly, automated discharge summaries to speed up the flow of patients from wards, and the GOV.UK chatbot, which provides instant and simple responses to public queries using official government information.
Ministers say the growing use of AI in healthcare is key to building an NHS that is more resilient, more efficient and able to meet growing demand – particularly in winter – while improving both patient experience and staff wellbeing.
Amy Ingham
Amy is a newly qualified journalist specializing in business journalism at Business Matters and responsible for news content for what is now the UK’s largest print and online business news source.