Health and social care regulators commit to collaborating on AI principles

The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA), along with health and social care professional regulators and registers have issued a statement committing to jointly developing a set of principles to guide how they will regulate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by health and social care professionals across the UK.

Alongside the PSA, the Joint Statement of Intent has been signed by 10 health and social care professional regulators and the Accredited Registers Collaborative – which represents 28 accredited registers.

Signatories include Leonie Milliner, chief executive and registrar of the General Optical Council, who has described the statement of intent as marking an “important step in unlocking the benefits that AI can bring across all areas of healthcare, as well as ensuring risks are appropriately managed.”

The joint statement of intent seeks to support the “safe, effective and ethical use of AI by health and social care professionals,” by putting safeguards in place to protect patients while enabling the benefits that AI can bring to the sector.

The PSA noted that the commitment aims to achieve greater consistency across the regulatory landscape in order to help to build confidence in how the technology is used.

A system-wide approach to the use of AI is required, the regulators note in the joint statement, sharing: “To support responsible innovation while upholding standards, professionals need clarity about regulatory expectations for using AI responsible, including about informing patients, service users and the public about the use of AI in their care.”

The release of the statement follows recommendations published by the National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare, which aimed to advise on a regulatory framework for safe and effective use of the technology.

The report highlighted the shared responsibility of managing AI and the role of health and social care professionals in this.

Caroline Corby, chair of the PSA, said: “As AI becomes increasingly embedded in health and care, regulation must keep pace. Effective regulation can’t be developed in isolation, and the Commission’s report rightly recognises the need for coordination across the regulatory landscape.”

The PSA and the Medicines Healthcare products Regulatory Agency are co-chairing a Task and Finish Group; bringing together professional regulators and the Accredited Registers Collaborative.

The statement forms an early result of the joint work, the PSA has said, and the beginning of a formal collaboration across regulation in regards to the use of AI in health and social care.

On the publication of the statement, Milliner commented: “AI has the potential to enhance the efficient delivery of safe and effective eye care, alongside a regulatory infrastructure that supports responsible innovation and protects the public.”

The GOC emphasised its commitment to working collaboratively with other healthcare regulators to promote a consistent approach to regulating the use of AI in healthcare.

Commenting on the launch of the statement, Corby said: “Confidence by the public and professionals in the benefits of AI rests on appropriate safeguards, accountability and consistency in expectations about how it is used.”

“By working together, we can take a preventative approach to regulation that supports innovation while maintaining professional standards,” she added.

Charlie Massey, chief executive and registrar of the General Medical Council, is a signatory of the joint statement and highlighted the potential benefits of AI in supporting safe and efficient care but emphasised: “The fundamentals remain the same: patient safety, professional judgement and accountability must always come first.”

The General Dental Council are also named in the joint statement of intent, with Tom Whiting, chief executive, explaining that AI is already changing how dental care is delivered.

He shared: “Dental professionals want clarity on what is expected of them when they use it, and patients need to be confident that AI is being used in their care in a safe and responsible way.”