AI Predicts Diseases Using NHS Data from 57 Million Patients

A groundbreaking artificial intelligence model called Foresight is being developed by University College London and King’s College London using anonymized health data from 57 million NHS patients in England. This world-first initiative aims to predict diseases and complications before they occur, enabling the NHS to shift toward preventative healthcare. Foresight analyzes patterns in medical histories and routinely collected datasets, such as hospital admissions and vaccination rates, to forecast risks like unscheduled hospitalizations and the onset of over 1,000 different conditions. The program is currently focused on Covid-19 outcomes but is being tested for wider healthcare applications, with the potential to personalize interventions and optimize treatments like blood pressure control to prevent strokes. Officials describe the project as a potential 'healthcare revolution,' leveraging the scale and security of NHS data to transform disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Independent experts highlight that this technology could significantly improve population health outcomes and resource allocation within the health service.