The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has established the UK National Commission on the Regulation of AI in Healthcare. It’s tasked with advising the MHRA on rewriting the regulatory rulebook for AI in healthcare, which will be published in 2026. The main goal is to make the NHS the most AI-enabled health system in the world. It also directly supports the government’s Plan for Change and the 10-Year Health Plan for England.
The Commission will immediately review technologies that are currently held back by regulatory uncertainty. One of its priorities is accelerating access to AI assistants for doctors who help by taking notes. Ambient voice technology has also shown positive results in early tests, including reducing admin, enabling more people to be seen in A&E, and allowing clinicians to spend more time with patients. Some other AI tools needing more regulatory clarity include radiology, pathology, and remote monitoring systems for virtual care.
The Commission includes a diverse mix of experts, including clinicians, researchers, patient advocates, and representatives from big tech companies like Google and Microsoft. It is chaired by Professor Alastair Denniston, an NHS clinician and head of CERSI-AI and deputy-chaired by Professor Henrietta Hughes (Patient Safety Commissioner).
Core members include leaders from the Health Foundation, HealthAI, Coalition for Health AI (CHAI), and leading machine learning experts like Professor Neil Lawrence (DeepMind Professor). A formal call for evidence will be launched to gather contributions from across the UK and internationally.
The chief goal and product of the Commission’s work is the advice that will help to shape a new regulatory rulebook for AI in healthcare, which is due next year. The updated framework aims to transform the NHS and drive economic growth in the country’s life sciences sector. The MHRA said that it wants regulations to move at the pace of innovation, suggesting that the framework it comes up with will be agile.