New polling from the Health Foundation’s third annual health tech tracker survey shows that while the public backs most of the proposed new functions for the NHS App, many remain cautious around the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care.
With the government’s 10-Year Health Plan signalling major ambitions to expand the NHS App, our survey of 8,000 members of the public and over 2,000 NHS staff reveals that around three quarters of the public would be happy to use the NHS App for functions such as booking hospital appointments (76%), choosing a preferred hospital (73%) and accessing information about procedures (73%).
However, support drops significantly when AI-generated advice is involved. Only 49% of the public say they would be willing to use the proposed AI-powered ‘Doctor in Your Pocket’ feature for non-urgent care, with nearly a third (32%) saying they would not use it.
Overall, views on digital technology remain broadly positive, with over half of the public (55%) and a higher proportion of staff (60%) saying technology improves the quality of care, compared with just 13% of the public and 19% of staff who think it makes care worse. AI is viewed more cautiously than technology in general, however: 38% of the public think AI will improve the quality of health care, while 19% think it will make care worse.
Crucially, the public consistently prioritises safety, human oversight and robust regulation of AI over speed or convenience. When presented with illustrative trade-offs related to the approach to overseeing AI, 70% prefer AI outputs checked by a human over speed of results, and 72% want strong evidence requirements even if this slows the rollout of new AI tools.
The research also highlights consistent differences in trust and confidence across demographic groups. Women, younger adults (16–24), and those on low or no income are less positive about the impact of both technology and AI in health care. For example, only 35% of people in households where the main earner is in casual work or unemployed would be willing to use the ‘Doctor in Your Pocket’ feature of the NHS App, while 36% would not. These patterns underline the need for targeted engagement to ensure new uses of technology work for all and do not widen inequalities.
Ahmed Binesmael, Senior Improvement Analyst at the Health Foundation, said:
‘The government’s 10-Year Health Plan set bold ambitions for technology and AI in modernising the NHS. Our findings show the public supports using the NHS App to manage many everyday health care tasks, but is more cautious about AI-generated advice. Meaningful engagement with the public will be essential to get this right – particularly with those that are more sceptical – to ensure new tools meet patient needs and reduce, rather than reinforce, inequalities.
‘As policymakers seek to develop the UK’s approach to overseeing and regulating AI in health care, it will be important to create an environment where the use of AI is trusted by patients and the public. While an effective regulatory framework may well be able to balance speed, safety and other principles, our findings suggest the public currently prioritises stronger diligence and safeguards over potential benefits such as speed or availability.’
