Medica at the BIR AI Congress: Scaling AI with evidence, ethics and excellence
Medica was pleased to support the recent BIR AI Congress, held at Park Plaza in London last week. The two-day event brought together clinical, academic and industry leaders to explore one of the most pressing challenges facing healthcare AI today: how to scale AI responsibly, safely and effectively across different clinical pathways.
This year’s theme, Scaling AI: Evidence, Ethics, Excellence, strongly aligns with Medica’s approach to AI-enabled diagnostics. Our focus is not just on technology, but on the clinical governance, workflows and clinicians required to make AI work in practice.
Medica was represented at the congress by Dr Amrita Kumar (AI Clinical Lead), Kevin Terrins (Director of Corporate Development), Dr Annabel Bentley (Group Chief Medical Officer) and Andy Bayliss (Commercial Lead), with the team attending sessions and engaging in conversations with radiologists, radiographers, tech leaders and more across both days of the event.
Day one: governance, evidence and real‑world adoption
Discussions on day one centred on the realities of AI adoption within the NHS, from evidencing clinical value and maintaining patient and clinician trust, to ensuring ethical deployment and long-term sustainability.
A consistent message from speakers and delegates alike was that while AI capability continues to advance rapidly, many organisations still face challenges around implementation at scale. Conversations focused on the importance of strong governance frameworks, clinician engagement, and aligning AI tools with existing diagnostic pathways rather than treating them as standalone solutions.
“The challenge isn’t the technology, it’s everything around it – people and pathways are where we need to focus”
Reflecting on the themes emerging from the congress, Dr Annabel Bentley, Group Chief Medical Officer at Medica, shared an observation that resonated strongly with many NHS colleagues:
“Most NHS trusts know AI can transform diagnostics. The challenge isn’t the technology – it’s everything around it. We’ve been quietly getting on with that at Medica; building the clinical governance, changes to clinical pathways and supporting clinicians with change that supports AI to deliver value on the front line.”
Her comments reflect a wider sentiment heard throughout the event, where delegates highlighted the change management and clinical governance considerations that must be addressed if AI is to deliver meaningful and sustained impact.
Day two: lessons from large‑scale AI deployment
On day two of the congress, Dr Amrita Kumar, Medica’s AI Clinical Lead, delivered a session on AI deployment across public, private and teleradiology services, drawing on her experience implementing more than 20 AI solutions across NHS radiology services and healthcare systems in the UAE.
Her talk focused on the gap between AI pilots and successful scale, and the common pitfalls that can limit value when implementation is not approached holistically. Reflecting on her experience, Amrita shared how she has repeatedly seen tools purchased with optimism but left unused, pilots that demonstrated promise but never scaled, and governance gaps that only emerged 12 to 18 months into deployment.
Connecting beyond the conference
On the morning of day two, Medica also hosted a breakfast networking event ahead of the congress, welcoming attendees for informal discussion before the conference programme began. The session provided an opportunity to connect with peers across the NHS and wider healthcare system, and to continue conversations around AI adoption in a more relaxed setting.
Continuing the conversation
The BIR AI Congress reinforced a key message for Medica: scaling AI in healthcare is about more than innovation alone. It requires evidence, ethics and excellence, supported by strong governance, clinical leadership and an understanding of the pressures that radiologists, radiographers and frontline clinicians face within NHS services.
As interest in AI continues to grow, Medica remains focused on supporting safe, clinically led AI deployment that delivers practical value for diagnostic services and the patients they serve.
If you would like to learn more about how Medica is using AI across our telemedicine services, or explore our education and learning sessions through Educate by Medica, we would be pleased to continue the conversation.
Find out more about Medica’s approach to AI in diagnostics here.
Explore our AI courses here.
