First AI-run physiotherapy clinic to start working in UK this year

The first National Health Service (NHS) AI-run physiotherapy clinic is to be rolled out in the UK this year in an effort to cut waiting times amid growing demand and staff shortages.

The new platform will provide same-day automated video appointments with a digital physiotherapist via an app that responds to information provided by a patient in real time, according to The Guardian.

It is the first platform of its kind to be approved by the health regulator, the Care Quality Commission, as a registered healthcare provider.

Patients seeking physiotherapy for issues such as back pain can be referred to the platform Flok Health through a community or primary care healthcare setting, such as their GP. They can also self-refer directly into the service.

The service aims to provide faster care and reduce waiting times and pressure on clinicians, those behind it say.

Waiting lists for treatment for ­musculoskeletal (MSK) problems such as back, neck, and knee pain have grown by 27 per cent since January last year. According to the NHS website, more than 30m working days are lost to MSK conditions every year in the UK, and they account for up to 30 per cent of GP consultations in England.

However, some in the industry say that AI cannot yet replicate the skill of a fully trained physiotherapist, and that treatment needs to be nuanced due to the complexity of cases.

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) said the number of physiotherapy posts in the NHS was not keeping pace with demand from Britain’s ageing and increasingly obese population.

CSP health informatics lead, Euan McComiskie, said of the AI clinic: “There is no doubt that more needs to be done to tackle huge NHS waiting lists, particularly for musculoskeletal services and AI has huge potential to be an adjunct to the work of physiotherapists. However, AI cannot yet replicate the clinical judgment and skills of a physiotherapist, who is required to be registered with a statutory regulator, the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).”

McComiskie added that physiotherapists manage “increasing complexity in patient presentation and their treatment needs to be individually tailored”. He said: “It is early days to know how much AI can eventually provide clinical decision making and more research is needed … but not at the cost of patient access, safety, experience nor trust.”