AI in Healthcare: Who's Responsible?

On the day the National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare published its landmark report, Gabriela Commatteo, AI Regulation Policy Lead for the MHRA, joined Catriona Williams from My Health Focus to explain what it all means for patients, prescribers, and the healthcare system. Key takeaways: 1\. AI in healthcare refers to technologies that analyse information, identify patterns, and support clinical decision-making, not replace doctors or nurses. 2\. AI is already in use across parts of the NHS, from ambient voice technology recording GP consultations to stroke imaging tools and one of the world's largest breast cancer screening trials involving 700,000 women. 3\. More than 12,000 people contributed to the National Commission's research, and the message was clear: patients want AI in their care, but support is conditional on safety, transparency, and clear accountability. 4\. The Commission recommends evolving the regulatory framework to reflect AI's unique characteristics, including ongoing monitoring, proportionate risk-based requirements, and clearer controls around updates after deployment. 5\. If something goes wrong, responsibility depends on the facts of each case, but manufacturers, healthcare providers, prescribers, and regulators all have distinct roles, and the system needs greater clarity on who is accountable for what. Gabriela Commatteo leads AI regulation policy and projects at the MHRA and was closely involved in the National Commission process. Subscribe to My Health Focus for expert interviews that answer the questions patients and professionals are actually asking. 02:45 *"AI in healthcare refers to technologies that analyse information, identify patterns, make predictions or recommendations, and in the context of healthcare that means using technology to help support health and care delivery."* 04:30 *"Some GPs are using ambient voice technology to record consultations and produce draft notes, which frees up clinicians to focus more fully on patients rather than taking notes during the appointment, bringing back that human aspect to the clinician-patient relationship."* 05:20 *"The NHS has launched one of the world's largest trials of AI in breast cancer screening, involving around 700,000 women, to understand whether AI can help identify signs of cancer and support radiologists in reviewing scans more efficiently."* 08:15 *"More than 12,000 people gave their views, including through public polling, a call for evidence, sector roundtables, and patient and public engagement through partner organisations, and engagement especially included seldom heard groups and underserved, underrepresented groups."* 10:40 *"Unlike many traditional medical devices, because it can be updated more often and may perform differently across services, patient groups, and clinical settings, the Commission recommends putting more emphasis on ongoing monitoring and clear controls around updates rather than relying only on a single approval point before a product reaches the market."* 14:50 *"The key message is that patients actually want AI, they want to see AI technologies used in their healthcare, they recognise their benefits, but that support is not automatic, it's conditional. They want to know that it is safe, how it is going to be used, they want meaningful human oversight, and they want to understand what happens if something doesn't go as planned and where the responsibility lies."* not anti-AI, but they have non-negotiable expectations about transparency and accountability. 17:20 *"There is no simple answer to that question because questions about liability depend on the facts of a specific incident, but what I would like to stress is one clear message from the Commission, which is that the system needs greater clarity about who is responsible for what."* My Health Focus is not a medical service. The information provided is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. JOIN THE MY HEALTH FOCUS COMMUNITY AND SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER * * * Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.