The UK government accepts all 44 recommendations of its commission on regulating AI in healthcare

The UK government published its response to the National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare on Tuesday 6 October. The commission was led by Professor Alastair Denniston and Professor Henrietta Hughes. “We are accepting all 44 of their recommendations,” the response says.

The work is led by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) with the Department of Health and Social Care. The response aims at regulation “that is proportionate, risk and lifecycle based and takes a system wide approach to overseeing safe use”: less weight on evidence gathered before an AI device reaches the market, and more on checking how it performs once in use.

Two dates are set. The MHRA intends to issue draft guidance by December 2026 on predetermined change control plans, which let a manufacturer agree in advance how an AI model may be updated without a fresh approval each time. It will launch a consultation on how devices are classified by spring 2027.

The response also commits to a public-facing database of adverse incidents involving AI in healthcare, AI training for staff, and clearer accountability between manufacturers, health providers and professionals.

For companies selling AI tools to the NHS, the change control plans matter most: they decide how quickly a model that learns or is retrained can be updated in the field.

• Confirmed The government accepts all 44 of the National Commission's recommendations. GOV.UK, government response, 6 October 2026
• Confirmed The MHRA intends draft guidance on predetermined change control plans by December 2026, and a classification consultation by spring 2027. GOV.UK, government response