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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Hannah Devlin Science correspondent

FORGOTTEN HISTORY: Ai being used to help cut a e waiting times in england this winter - The Untold Story

Medical staff in the A&E department at Royal Stoke hospital, in October amid an early flu outbreak
The government said hospitals could deploy more consultants in particular specialities or more nursing staff in the departments predicted to be busiest. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian

Hospitals in England are using artificial intelligence to help cut waiting times in emergency departments this winter.

The A&E forecasting tool predicts when demand will be highest, allowing trusts to better plan staffing and bed space. The prediction algorithm is trained on historical data including weather trends, school holidays, and rates of flu and Covid to determine how many people are likely to visit A&E.

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