NHS using AI technology for first time to build hospital in Bournemouth

University Hospitals Dorset (UHD) has announced that the new building on the Royal Bournemouth Hospital site is being constructed using artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

The technology, Buildots, automatically analyses data captured at the site via helmet-mounted 360-degree cameras.

The platform then generates true-to-life progress reports supported by visuals, providing managers with accurate, objective data and in-depth analysis, leading to improved efficiency and an overall decrease in costs.

Aviv Leibovici, chief product officer at Buildots, said: “The new Royal Bournemouth Hospital building is incredibly complex, with purpose-built facilities for maternity and children’s units, as well as emergency and critical care.

“We’re proud that Buildots is enabling this complicated project to be completed in a most efficient manner, and hope that others will follow Bournemouth’s lead in building the next generation of healthcare and other facilities.”

The Royal Bournemouth Hospital’s new Births, Emergency and Critical Care, Children’s Health (BEACH) building will include a new purpose-built maternity unit, purpose-built children’s unit, enhanced emergency department and critical care unit, with capacity for up to 30 beds.

As part of development plans, the multi-storey car park on site will be enlarged and a new pathology hub will be built to provide laboratory services for the whole of Dorset.

The BEACH building is planned to open in early 2025 and forms part of the £250 million transformation of UHD’s hospitals, including Poole and Christchurch Hospitals.

Steve Killen, transformation director at UHD, said: “The NHS is committed to efficient use of public funds, and Buildots technology is a great example of how we’re using cutting edge technology to help provide the best value for money for the taxpayer.

“It provides evidence-based analysis in real time, reassuring us that the healthcare standards on the BEACH building project are being met.

“This construction project is part of a wider Dorset health strategy, with Royal Bournemouth Hospital incorporating some of the most modern healthcare facilities in the UK as the major emergency hospital for Dorset.”

Although this is the first instance of AI being used to physically construct an NHS building, use of AI across the NHS has rapidly been gathering pace.

A new report by the NHS AI Lab and Health Education England last November called for all health and care staff to receive training in AI, signifying its growing importance within the sector.