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Using AI to transform urgent and emergency care

Urgent and emergency care in North East London is under strain with rising demand, long waits, and ambulance delays putting pressure on the system.

We have secured £13.5 million from NHS England for a three-year programme with Health Navigator and the North East London Health and Care Partnership. With this AI-based technology, our partners are now able to identify people most at risk of unplanned emergency care and, crucially, support them through personalised phone-based coaching before they reach crisis.

Over three years, we expect to: save 26,673 unplanned bed days, prevent 13,000 A&E visits a year, and improve patient wellbeing through early support.

13k
A&E visits avoided
per year over the three year programme

The service is already running in Waltham Forest, Havering and Redbridge, with other boroughs joining in the coming months. We have reached 656 people already through this work. By the end of the three years, this is projected to be between 9,000 – 11,000 patients.

The Institute of Public Policy Research has praised this work as a standout example of how AI can support local, patient-focused care.

This new approach represents a landmark step in harnessing technology for preventative care to better support these patients before they reach crisis points.

Dr Paul Gilluley, Chief Medical Officer at NHS North East London