NHSE warns that AI translation apps could impact patient safety

NHS England has raised concerns that the inappropriate use of AI translation apps in healthcare could cause risks to patient safety. 

The ‘Improvement framework: community language translation and interpreting services’, published by NHSE on 27 May 2025, warns that digital exclusion can prevent the one million people in the UK who do not speak good English from accessing NHS services.

It also highlights “concerns about the appropriate use of AI translation apps that are currently widely used across the NHS” to communicate with patients with limited English.

“While translation apps provide a convenient, familiar and timely means of translation, they can also carry risks, particularly regarding accuracy and the potential impact on patient safety,” the framework says.

NHSE calls on national programme teams to develop a national policy briefing on the ethical and appropriate use of AI in healthcare for translation and interpreting services.

This would include measures to ensure the clinical safety and accuracy of AI outputs, outline when AI tools are suitable and when alternative methods should be prioritised, and specify the appropriate and safe use of AI tools for translation and interpreting.

The framework also recommends that clear guidance is developed across all care settings for recording patients’ language needs in electronic patient records.

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Source: Digital Health, 3 June 2025

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