NHS at Risk as AI Adoption Lag Threatens Productivity Says Euan Blair

The NHS faces significant risks to future productivity without urgent, widespread adoption of artificial intelligence across its workforce, warns Euan Blair, the founder of tech training group Multiverse and son of former Prime Minister Tony Blair. With productivity levels reportedly 18.5 percent lower in the last year compared to pre pandemic performance, the pressure is mounting on the health service to modernise and equip its 1.4 million staff with digital skills.

Blair maintains that relying on outdated systems such as pen and paper and fax machines is undermining efficiency within the NHS, contrasting sharply with technology’s rapid advance in most sectors over the past quarter century. He insists this is not simply a technology challenge but a question of adoption and workforce transformation. Multiverse has announced a partnership with US data firm Palantir, aiming to train tens of thousands of NHS employees in the use of new AI tools, with ambitions to eventually scale training to hundreds of thousands of staff members.

Palantir secured a £330 million contract to overhaul NHS data systems with its Federated Data Platform, which pools critical information on bed occupancy, patient status, and theatre availability. The implementation of these technologies has led to noteworthy improvements where adopted, including a government estimated potential saving of £800 million from an AI enabled discharge note transcription app and a 35 percent reduction in hospital discharge waiting times. Despite this, some NHS trusts have hesitated, either expressing concerns about Palantir’s track record or claiming to lose functionality compared to existing providers.

Controversy surrounds Palantir due to its history of government contracts in the United States and involvement with the military, prompting the British Medical Association to pass motions against its integration within the NHS. Some doctors continue to resist, arguing for the right to refuse use of its systems because of the company’s affiliations.

Despite opposition, Palantir’s systems are already assisting the NHS in critical situations such as recent doctors’ strikes, enabling rapid reorganisation of rosters and resources. Palantir’s UK chief, Louis Mosley, argues that the principal obstacle is not the capability of AI itself but the resistance to fully adopting these technologies. Successful implementation, he claims, could fundamentally alter the UK’s productivity landscape and help prevent further decline within the NHS.

Multiverse will begin NHS staff training in February, with costs covered by the Government’s Growth and Skills Levy. The start up has previously supported clients such as John Lewis and KPMG, and is valued at over £1 billion after training more than 22000 people to date. The company faces the task of overcoming scepticism and the uphill struggle of upskilling overstretched NHS personnel during a period of consistently high waiting times.

Blair argues that, with restrictions on importing skilled workers, domestic staff must be trained to secure the future resilience of the NHS. Without large scale digital reskilling and enhanced AI adoption, the future prospects for Britain’s health service and broader productivity appear increasingly grim.