Key Summary
- The UK government is ready to implement 44 recommendations in NHS doctors-led AI Commission.
- MHRA has opened applications for Phase 3 of its regulatory sandbox, the AI Airlock.
- Industry leader highlighted issues of data privacy.
The UK Government has committed to overhauling how artificial intelligence is regulated across the NHS, formally adopting all 44 recommendations set out by the clinician-led National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare.
Announced on 6 October, the policy reportedly accelerates the safe adoption of clinical algorithms while protecting patient safety and public confidence.
It was chaired by consultant ophthalmologist Professor Alastair Denniston. The highlight of the Commission was that the historic medical device regime of static, one-time pre-market approvals is inadequate for adaptive, data-driven technologies whose performance can fluctuate after deployment.
To implement this model, the MHRA has opened applications for Phase 3, the AI Airlock, regulatory sandbox for AI-enabled medical devices.
An introductory webinar for prospective applicants is scheduled for 22 October 2026, with the first cohort of innovators selected in November.
The MHRA is also committed to issue draft guidance by December 2026 on a new approach to managing changes to AI-enabled medical devices.
Health Innovation Minister James Frith said: “We want all patients to benefit from the life-saving potential of AI, with the confidence that it is safe, effective and properly overseen.
“We also want to see the NHS harness the best new technologies to give patients faster, better care and give staff more time to focus on patients. But innovation must never come at the expense of patient safety.
“This will be a continually-evolving process as the technology itself develops, but we are acting now by accepting in full all 44 recommendations of the Independent Commission, which will provide a foundation to embrace the opportunities AI brings while putting strong safeguards, transparency and public confidence at the heart of its use.”
Professor Alastair Denniston, Chair of the National Commission, said: “I am delighted to welcome the Government’s response to the National AI Commission, and its full acceptance of all our recommendations.
“This response shows that government has listened, not just to the Commission, but to the more than 12,000 patients, clinicians and members of the public who shaped our recommendations.”
Gerard Hanratty, Partner and Head of Health and Life Sciences at UK and Ireland law firm Browne Jacobson, said: “AI has significant potential to support the three big shifts set out in the 10-Year Health Plan – from sickness to prevention, hospital to community and analogue to digital. The UK is also uniquely placed to become a hotbed for rolling out novel technologies due to its cradle-to-grave records held by the NHS, a diverse population, and strong links between health information and the research community."
However, Hanratty highlighted the need for a strong regulatory environment, which would enable innovators to build and safely test AI.
