Intelligence Squared The Age of Change with Jeremy Hunt, in Partnership with IBM
Oct 6, 2026
Jeremy Hunt, former Chancellor and Health Secretary, joins Angela Spatharou, IBM Consulting’s healthcare transformation leader, and Lawrence Tallon, MHRA chief executive. They explore AI’s impact on the NHS, from digital records and smarter navigation to scaling beyond pilots. The conversation also examines regulation, accountability, prevention, wellness, and how technology can modernize public services without losing its human focus.
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GP Resistance Built An AI-Ready Record System
- Jeremy Hunt says England’s longitudinal GP records created an unusually strong foundation for healthcare AI.
- GPs rejected the government’s central system, then quietly built interoperable records through companies including EMIS and SystemOne.
One Unconscious Patient Exposed NHS Data Gaps
- A 2012 hospital visit showed Jeremy Hunt how fragmented records endangered patient care.
- A dementia patient arrived unconscious, while staff lacked her history; nationwide digital summaries followed years later.
NHS AI Needs Orchestration Beyond Pilot Projects
- AI can release substantial NHS capacity, but isolated pilots rarely produce system-wide value.
- IBM’s examples included intelligent navigation redirecting 30% of callers and process mining freeing up to 10% capacity.