The Huddersfield Health Innovation Partnership, in partnership with the UK’s largest group of GP practices, Modality Partnership, along with their social enterprise Pathfinder Healthcare Developments CIC, hosted a highly successful interactive speed debating event yesterday, driving crucial conversations around AI Innovation in Healthcare.

Attracting over 100 NHS clinicians, university academics and industry professionals from a range of sectors at the John Smith’s Stadium, the event tackled the transformative potential of AI in healthcare, with fast-paced debates exploring both the opportunities and challenges of AI adoption.

The event not only highlighted AI’s impact on leadership, regulation, patient care and clinical practices but also set the stage for shaping the future of healthcare through multidisciplinary collaborations, with several meaningful connections being made on the day.

Speed debaters represented various backgrounds including GPs from Modality Partnership, academics from the University of Huddersfield and industry leaders from organisations including Answer Digital, Better Medicine, GE Healthcare and Liberate AI.

Afternoon breakout sessions sparked conversations around strategies for healthcare transformation; regulatory, ethical, and security challenges; personalised and preventive healthcare, and diagnostics and remote patient care, led by AI trailblazers from Google Health, Holly Health, Blüm Health and Psyomics.

Discussions took a deep dive into how AI can be deployed in the UK and whether it is a technology fad or a critical tool for healthcare delivery. They covered the evolution of AI since the 1950s to modern generative AI, how it is and can be applied to healthcare, from streamlining processes, improving care workflow to enhancing drug discovery.

Key takeaways from the event included:

• the positives and negatives of AI are both often inflated in contemporary media;
• AI will not replace medical professionals but those that adopt AI safely will replace those that don’t;
• for the healthcare sector to embrace AI it needs to take a more proactive approach focusing on preventative medicine, how to reduce waiting times to limiting repeat patient visits, most of which can be done at a community level;
• barriers to AI include big companies put off deploying into the NHS due to regulations and scepticism, as well as data security and regulatory boundaries;
• a fundamental principle in adopting AI in healthcare is the ongoing monitoring of data, while ensuring human and clinical oversight remains integral to the process;
• it is likely to take many years for AI to have a meaningful impact on healthcare in the UK.

Mina Gupta, Group Clinical Chair of Modality Partnership and Pathfinder Healthcare Developments CIC, who provided the keynote speech, said:

“Yesterday’s event on AI innovation in healthcare was a resounding success. The dynamic exchange of ideas highlighted the incredible potential of AI to transform patient care. The diverse perspectives and rapid-fire discussions fostered an environment of collaboration and creativity and I have no doubt that the connections made will drive significant advancements in the field.”

Prof Liz Towns-Andrews, Regional Business Lead for the University of Huddersfield’s National Health Innovation Campus, said:

“The discussions at the event underscored that if we approach AI with both enthusiasm and caution, we can significantly improve patient outcomes. The insights and ideas generated will be instrumental in guiding how we integrate AI into practices to achieve these goals and shape the future of healthcare.”

Many attendees caught a glimpse of the University of Huddersfield’s National Health Innovation Campus’ inaugural building on their way to the event, set to open later this month. This provided an opportunity to appreciate the scale of the project, with Prof Towns-Andrews sharing more about the campus’s future role as a key contributor to regional economic regeneration and addressing health disparities.

Modality Partnership is the largest provider of primary healthcare and community services across the UK. ​It is made up of 53 GP practices that come together to form one single partnership, allowing for a more efficient way of working. The partnership focuses on the growing needs and expectations of patients without compromising on continuity of care, working together to find innovative solutions to provide high quality healthcare for all. ​

Its social enterprise Pathfinder Healthcare Developments CIC aims to improve access to healthcare for all individuals, regardless of their socio-economic status or geographical location and to promote health inequality worldwide.​

The Huddersfield Health Innovation Partnership is led by the University of Huddersfield working in partnership with the NHS, Kirklees Council, 3M BIC and Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber.

This ecosystem of public, private and third sector organisations offers business support initiatives, such as industry-related events, 1:1 mentoring, grants for product development, proof of concept and employee wellbeing, as well as access to its Health Innovation Network, to help drive health innovation across West Yorkshire.

The Huddersfield Health Innovation Partnership is being delivered by the University of Huddersfield and is part funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). In West Yorkshire the West Yorkshire Combined Authority leads the implementation of the Fund as part of the Mayor’s ambition to make West Yorkshire the best place to work, learn and live.

More information about the University of Huddersfield’s National Health Innovation Campus can be found here