Patients will discuss their health issues with an ‘AI GP’ on the NHS App under Labour’s ten-year plan for the health service.
Wes Streeting wants to make the interactive assistant the first port of call for sick Britons in search of medical advice.
The health secretary said it will use artificial intelligence to help triage users’ ailments, so they can be directed to the most appropriate place for care.
This may include simple guidance on the NHS website, a local pharmacy or A&E.
A new My Choices tool will show users which hospitals have the best ratings and shortest waiting lists and allow them to pick where they are treated.
And a My Companion feature will suggest illness-specific questions patients can pose to their doctor during face-to-face appointments.
Mr Streeting revealed details of the app updates during a visit to Blackpool yesterday, ahead of the expected publication of the NHS ten-year plan next week.
Speaking at the local football stadium, he said the NHS has an ‘important role to play’ when it comes to getting patients off waiting lists and back to work, and should also act ‘as an engine of local economic growth’.
He also announced a new pilot scheme which will aim to recruit an extra 1,000 NHS staff from areas worst affected by unemployment, including those with physical disabilities and autism.
Mr Streeting said the NHS App will be improved to ‘empower patients with choice and control’ and will be ‘evolutionary and revolutionary.’ He added: ‘I think having that doctor in your pocket and someone to kind of guide you through your care will be quite powerful for people.’
