UK Government Backs Plan for Healthcare AI Regulation

The UK Government has accepted all 44 recommendations from the National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare, following the publication of its report on 10 September 2026.

Outlining how medical AI regulation should evolve across UK healthcare, the report followed an extensive public consultation process involving more than 12,000 clinicians and patients. 

The National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare is an advisory body established by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to review current regulations and provide recommendations for a regulatory framework for AI in healthcare.

Commenting on the UK Government’s acceptance of the recommendations, Lawrence Tallon, the MHRA’s CEO, says: “The independent National AI Commission, led by NHS doctors, has given us a clear and ambitious blueprint for how we make the UK the best place to get AI products to patients safely, quickly and in a way that maintains public trust.  

“I am pleased that today the Government is accepting its recommendations in full, whilst setting out a clear plan and oversight structure to deliver them.”

Ongoing monitoring 

A central recommendation is a shift away from treating regulatory assessment as a one-off exercise. 

The Commission argues that AI-enabled medical devices should be monitored throughout their working lives, allowing regulators and healthcare providers to build a clearer picture of how systems perform in real-world settings and identify potential risks as technologies evolve.

The approach is already being put into practice through the MHRA’s AI Airlock regulatory sandbox. The agency has opened applications for the third phase of the programme, with its testing themes informed directly by the Commission’s recommendations.

Phase 3 of the AI Airlock will bring developers, regulators and healthcare partners together to explore how AI-enabled medical devices can be safely monitored after deployment, including through post-market surveillance. 

The resulting evidence and practical insights will help shape future MHRA guidance and policy, creating a closer link between real-world experience and the regulation of AI technologies.

One of the report’s co-authors, Henrietta Hughes, Deputy Chair of the National Commission and Patient Safety Commissioner for England, is particularly supportive of the government's response in this area.

“I particularly welcome the commitment to monitor AI throughout its use in practice, strengthen patient involvement in decision-making and ensure there are clear routes to redress when things go wrong. It's an important step towards ensuring innovation and patient safety go hand in hand," Henrietta writes on LinkedIn.

"As AI becomes increasingly embedded in healthcare, patients must remain at the heart of how these technologies are developed, regulated and used.”

Next steps

The government’s response sets out a series of near-term actions to turn the Commission’s recommendations into regulatory change. 

By December 2026, the MHRA is expected to publish draft guidance on a “new approach to managing changes to AI-enabled medical devices as they adapt and improve over time,” addressing one of the key challenges posed by technologies that can evolve after deployment.

The government will also explore staged authorisation pathways that could allow promising AI tools to reach NHS settings earlier, under appropriate safeguards, while additional real-world evidence is collected. 

A full implementation roadmap covering all 44 recommendations is due to be published by Spring 2027, with regular progress updates thereafter.

Patient involvement is also central to the government’s response. It has committed to working with partners across the health system to strengthen patient participation in decision-making, improve routes to redress when standards of care fall below expectations, and ensure the benefits of healthcare AI are distributed fairly, including among underserved communities.

James Frith, the UK Government’s Health Innovation Minister, described the approach to AI healthcare regulation as “a continually evolving process as the technology itself develops,” but said the government is “acting now by accepting in full all 44 recommendations of the Independent Commission.”

NHS - key AI partners

Microsoft

CEO: Satya Nadella | HQ: Redmond, Washington

Microsoft is the global technology company behind the Copilot AI assistant suite, a platform now available to 500,000 NHS clinicians and support staff. Copilot integrates generative AI into everyday productivity tools, aiming to reduce administrative burden. Microsoft's healthcare partnerships have expanded significantly as NHS trusts seek to embed AI into clinical and back-office workflows.

Heidi

CEO: Dr. Thomas Kelly | HQ: Melbourne, Australia

Heidi is an AI-powered clinical documentation company whose AVT transcribes patient consultations into notes. The company has seen its technology rolled out across NHS England Midlands, covering 1,239 GP practices and more than 70,000 clinicians across 15 trusts.

Proximie

CEO: Dr. Nadine Hachach-Haram | HQ: London, UK

Proximie is a health technology platform enabling remote surgical collaboration through video, audio and AI-assisted analytics. Founded in 2016, it lets surgeons virtually observe and guide operations worldwide. Proximie, alongside AWS and Deloitte, is part of an NHS initiative to conduct the largest-ever surgical evaluation across the public health service.

AWS (Amazon Web Services)

CEO: Matt Garman | HQ: Seattle, Washington

AWS is Amazon's cloud computing division, providing infrastructure and AI tools to organisations globally. AWS is a partner in the NHS's surgical capacity initiative alongside Proximie and Deloitte, contributing cloud and data infrastructure to support the evaluation of NHS facilities and unlock additional surgical capacity.

Deloitte

CEO: Joe Ucuzoglu | HQ: London, United Kingdom 

Deloitte is a multinational professional services firm offering consulting, audit, and advisory services. It is a partner in the NHS's AI-powered surgical evaluation initiative, contributing strategic and operational consulting expertise to help the NHS assess and expand surgical capacity across existing facilities.