The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has launched a new regulatory sandbox designed to accelerate the adoption of AI-enabled healthcare technologies across London NHS organisations.
The initiative, known as London Region I, has been developed in partnership with NHS England (London) and London’s three Health Innovation Networks (HINs). It aims to create a controlled environment where AI-powered medical devices can be deployed in live clinical settings while generating real-world evidence on their safety, effectiveness and benefits for patients.
The programme will initially support up to 10 AI medical device manufacturers, which will work alongside NHS providers across London under MHRA oversight.
According to the organisations involved, the sandbox is intended to help address one of the biggest challenges facing healthcare innovation: the gap between regulatory approval and widespread adoption within health services.
By allowing technologies to be tested in operational NHS environments, the initiative aims to generate evidence that can support future procurement and deployment decisions while ensuring patient safety remains paramount.
The programme is expected to run until December 2028 and will inform future approaches to deploying AI-enabled technologies across the NHS.
Keeping pace with AI
The announcement comes as the government and NHS continue to explore how AI can support service delivery, improve patient outcomes and tackle growing demand pressures across the health service.
Dame Caroline Clarke, regional director for NHS England London, said the programme would help ensure patients gain access to new technologies more quickly.
“This programme is about making sure the NHS in London can adopt the latest technologies quickly, safely and in a way that genuinely improves care for patients.
“We want London to lead the way in developing and scaling-up innovation, demonstrating its value in the real world for Londoners and making London even more attractive for the Life Science sector.”
The MHRA said the initiative also reflects a broader effort to modernise regulatory approaches in response to rapid advances in AI technologies.
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Lawrence Tallon, chief executive of the MHRA, said regulators must evolve alongside technological innovation.
“This initiative demonstrates that regulation can be an enabler for innovation, not a barrier,” he said.
“We need to work faster to keep pace with developments in AI to ensure that patients can safely benefit from cutting-edge technologies as they become available.”
The three London Health Innovation Networks – Imperial College Health Partners, UCLPartners and HIN South London – will help identify suitable technologies and support their deployment across NHS organisations.
The MHRA said it will invite expressions of interest from both NHS organisations and AI medical device manufacturers next month, with the aim of matching technologies to identified healthcare challenges and enabling rapid deployment where there is evidence of potential benefit.
MHRA digital modernisation continues
The sandbox announcement comes as the MHRA continues a wider programme of digital transformation.
Tech consultancy TXP has secured a £1.5 million contract to provide architecture, infrastructure and cybersecurity services to the regulator. The agreement will see TXP augment the MHRA’s internal IT team and support ongoing efforts to modernise digital and technology capabilities across the organisation.
The company said the contract builds on an existing relationship with the regulator and includes a focus on knowledge transfer to help ensure internal teams can continue to develop and maintain systems over the longer term.
Tim Hurst, chief operating officer at TXP, said: “Bringing drug safety programmes into the digital age is critical to the health of UK citizens.
“We’re excited to be extending our partnership with the MHRA, as this contract is further recognition of TXP’s digital transformation capabilities and the commitment of our people.”
