Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of using artificial intelligence to undertake (a) assessments of medication for (i) compatibility and (ii) necessity and (b) other pharmaceutical checks.

The future of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and its potential benefits are exciting. We have already made great strides in this area and a number of projects are already underway, all with the aim of accelerating the safe, ethical, and effective use of AI in health and care. For example, we have invested £123 million to test and evaluate AI technologies in crucial areas that cause the most harm to health and the economy, such as strokes and lung cancer.

The Department has not yet made an assessment of the potential merits of using AI to undertake evaluations of the compatibility, necessity, and other pharmaceutical checks, for medication. However, we will continue to explore where AI could be deployed across health and care systems to transform patient experience and improve health outcomes.