STFC’s Hartree Centre is teaming up with the Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust to give a futuristic twist on healthcare by bringing in Artificial Intelligence.
The collaboration is a step towards realising the potential of advanced digital technologies in NHS healthcare, which can elevate the quality and effectiveness of patient care and contribute to healthier lives.
The announcement closely follows Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt’s budget announcement of £3.4 billion in funding to support digital transformation in the NHS as part of more comprehensive plans to boost productivity.
Under this strategic collaboration, the Hartree Centre and Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust will embark on scoping projects to explore the adoption and integration of advanced digital technologies, from AI to quantum computing.
These projects will specifically focus on mapping out pathways to enhance healthcare solutions, aiming to optimise patient outcomes.
The intention is to address challenges across the board, including:
- Outsmarting disease with faster and more accurate detection and diagnosis
- More personalised healthcare
- An upskilled workforce empowering healthcare professionals with the skills to harness digital technologies for improved productivity and patient care, with less time spent on administrative tasks
- Advanced AI systems for enhanced prediction and decision-making across the board, including mental health care.
Located at STFC’s Daresbury Laboratory, as Sci-Tech Daresbury in the Liverpool City Region, the Hartree Centre is the UK’s only supercomputing centre dedicated to industry engagement. It is home to some of the UK’s most advanced computing, data and AI technologies, enabling productivity, innovation, and growth in UK businesses and organisations.
Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS Trusts in the country, serving over 1.4 million people and managing more than three million outpatient attendances annually. It is particularly renowned for its leadership and provision of mental health care to patients nationally.
STFC Hartree Centre Director Kate Royse said, “Our mission is to equip the the UK industry with the knowledge, skills, and computing needed to fully unlock the potential of advanced digital technologies.
“This collaboration is not just about technology; it’s about enhancing the digital skills of the UK NHS workforce and making digital technologies more accessible. From automating tasks to monitoring at-risk patients, the ultimate aim is to optimise patient outcomes to benefit society as a whole.”
Mersey Care’s Chief Executive Officer, Joe Rafferty, hosted a significant expo of international tech leaders to set out his Trust’s vision of being an anchor institution in digital healthcare research.
Raffety said: “We’re the largest provider of some of the most specialist mental healthcare in the NHS. This scale and the data we produce allow us to talk about the interrelationship between physical, mental, and social health. Our vision is not merely to create a world-class digital research centre but to do so to deliver the best results possible to our patients, service users and our communities where we know health inequalities adversely affect lives, economies and opportunity”.
Head of STFC’s Daresbury Laboratory, Paul Vernon, said: “There has never been a better time for UK organisations to take advantage of the incredible innovations happening within AI, and this collaboration is an exciting example of its real potential to generate long-term societal and economic impact.
