The Leicester and Northamptonshire Trust Group has joined a European network to use healthcare AI responsibly with the right technological guardrails.
The University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust and University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Trust Group has become the first in England to join European TRAIN – the Trustworthy and Responsible AI Network for healthcare leaders on the continent.
Established in the US in March 2024, TRAIN expanded to Europe in June last year, supporting organisations to use AI responsibly with the right technological guardrails in place. Members include Erasmus MC and University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands, HUS Helsinki University Hospital in Finland, Sahlgrenska and Skåne University Hospitals in Sweden, and Universita Vita-Salute San Raffaele in Italy.
Microsoft is the major technology partner.
“From ambient voice technology that can dictate patient notes and letters – acting as a clinicians’ scribe – to aiding early diagnosis in imaging, AI can be harnessed to improve patient outcomes. Freeing our clinicians’ time from administrative tasks brings the focus back to patient care,” said Will Monaghan group chief digital information officer at UHL and UHN.
Improve safety
Through collaboration, the idea of the network is that TRAIN members will improve the quality, safety, and trustworthiness of AI in health. They do this by providing technology and tools that enable trustworthy and responsible AI principles to be used at scale; sharing best practices related to the use of AI in healthcare settings, including the safety, reliability and monitoring of AI algorithms, and the skillsets required to manage AI responsibly; and working toward enabling registration of AI used for clinical care or clinical operations through a secure online portal.
The aim is to work towards the development of a federated AI outcomes registry for organisations to share among themselves. This will capture real-world outcomes related to the efficacy, safety and optimisation of AI algorithms.
“The potential for AI to advance and improve healthcare is huge, and we are intent on realising its potential responsibly. Joining forces with organisations across Europe will mean we can share the knowledge and tools that will support ethical implementation,” said Monaghan.
