September 10, 2026

MHRA regulation of AI in Healthcare

The MHRA-established National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare has published its recommendations for how the UK regulates, develops and adopts AI in healthcare. The recommendations cover all uses of AI in healthcare settings, from automatic transcripts to diagnosis tools.

The Commission is an independent body set up by the MHRA. Among other things it will recommend that the MHRA has enforcement powers over companies providing AI and that patients have the right to know when AI is used in their care. 

Journalists came to the SMC to hear from four members of the Commission plus the CEO of the MHRA about the recommendations in the report, as well as how AI is used in healthcare and why regulation is necessary if AI is to benefit patients safely.

Speakers included:

Lawrence Tallon, CEO of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency

Prof Alastair Denniston, NHS consultant and Chair of the National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare

Prof Henrietta Hughes, NHS General Practitioner, Deputy Chair of the National Commission and Patient Safety Commissioner for England

Prof Neil Lawrence, Chair of the Technology Working Group and DeepMind Professor of Machine Learning, University of Cambridge

Jennifer Dixon, Chief Executive of The Health Foundation