Hospitals across England are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to ease pressure on accident and emergency departments, as a new AI-powered forecasting tool is deployed to help predict when demand will be at its highest.
The system, now in use across 50 NHS organisations and available to all trusts, is designed to identify likely surges in A&E attendances days and weeks in advance. By analysing a wide range of data, from historical hospital admissions and seasonal illness trends to Met Office temperature forecasts and day-of-week patterns, the tool helps managers plan staffing levels, bed capacity and resources more effectively.
Ministers say the technology will enable patients to be seen and treated more quickly during peak periods, while reducing last-minute pressure on frontline staff. The rollout comes as emergency departments face heightened winter demand, driven by record flu cases, cold weather injuries and seasonal illness. More than 18 million flu vaccines have already been delivered this autumn, with the AI system continuing to learn from evolving seasonal health data.
For NHS staff, the forecasting tool offers clearer long-term planning and earlier warnings of potential bottlenecks, helping trusts put the right people in the right place before pressures escalate. For patients, the aim is shorter waits and smoother journeys through emergency care during the busiest times of year.
The initiative forms part of the Prime Minister’s AI Exemplars programme, which is applying artificial intelligence across public services, including health, education, justice, tax and planning, to modernise systems and improve outcomes.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said AI was already transforming healthcare and that demand forecasting marked the next step in that journey. She said the tool would help hospitals predict pressure points, get patients treated faster and support NHS staff during the most challenging months of the year.
Health Innovation Minister Dr Zubir Ahmed said the technology would help hospitals manage winter pressures more effectively, particularly as flu cases rise. He described the rollout as part of a broader ambition to move the NHS from analogue systems to a digital future under the government’s 10-year health plan.
Early feedback from NHS managers has been positive, with local leaders reporting improved decision-making around staffing and capacity. Integrated care boards in areas including Coventry and Warwickshire, and Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes, are already using the tool to support operational planning.
The forecasting system is one of several AI initiatives being rolled out under the Exemplars programme. Other projects include AI-assisted diagnostics to help clinicians identify conditions such as lung cancer more quickly, automated discharge summaries to speed up patient flow from wards, and the GOV.UK chatbot, which provides instant, plain-English answers to public queries using official government information.
Ministers say the growing use of AI in healthcare is central to building an NHS that is more resilient, efficient and capable of meeting rising demand — particularly during winter — while improving both patient experience and staff wellbeing.
