An independent evaluation of the NHS Artificial Intelligence (AI) Lab, delivered by The University of Edinburgh and NHS Arden & GEM, has received international recognition.
A team of senior researchers from The University of Edinburgh, supported by health economics and project management experts from NHS Arden & GEM’s Health and Care Transformation team, evaluated a pioneering initiative by the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England aimed at effectively integrating AI into the health and care sector.
Since its launch in April 2025, the evaluation report has gained widespread coverage in national healthcare publications across the UK. The key findings and insights have now received further recognition through the publication of a new paper in npj Digital Medicine – an internationally recognised peer reviewed academic journal showcasing research on the clinical application and implementation of digital and mobile technologies, virtual healthcare, and innovative uses of AI and informatics.
This publication represents a vehicle to share the evaluation’s findings with a wider international audience. It also reinforces the NHS’s position at the forefront of AI in healthcare by highlighting this groundbreaking effort to intervene at a systemic level – supporting the scaling of cutting-edge AI technologies and providing emerging evidence aggregated at scale.
Professor Kathrin Cresswell, lead researcher on the evaluation from The University of Edinburgh, commented: “We’re delighted that this evaluation now formally contributes to the international evidence base on large-scale, AI-enabled digitalisation. Building on this work, we are currently examining global efforts to implement AI at scale and hope our findings will support greater international learning and coordination.”
Read the npj Digital Medicine article here
The full evaluation report is available on The University of Edinburgh’s website
Find out more about the NHS AI Lab here