Google announces AI health initiatives; Women's medical misogyny concerns; More people turn to private healthcare
Google investing in AI to make healthcare more accessible
At its annual health event this week, Google announced plans for a series of AI initiatives aimed at making healthcare more accessible. The search engine company said it is investing $10M to train future clinicians in using AI to improve patient care. It also unveiled upgrades to Google Search and Fitbit to simplify accessing personal health data.
Google plans to:
- Fund organisations to train future clinicians in using AI to improve patient care.
- Use AI to make information "more helpful and reliable" on Search.
- Add an “Ask’ button on eligible YouTube content to let people interact with information more personally.
- Experiment with AI as a brainstorming partner to organise peer-reviewed scientific information and suggest ways to present complex information to broad audiences.
Read more about Google's annual Check Up here.
Forum reveals medical misogyny findings
Research by parenting forum Mumsnet has revealed nearly 6 in 10 women believe the NHS is institutionally prejudiced against women. Results of a survey and ten-year analysis of women's experiences of the NHS have been shared in Mumsnet's new report Medical Misogyny: a lifetime of failure. The survey found:
- Nearly 6 in 10 agree the NHS is institutionally misogynistic.
- Nearly 7 in 10 say the NHS does not take women’s health concerns seriously.
- 5 in 10 have been dismissed, ignored or not believed by an NHS professional because they are a woman.
- Nearly 8 in 10 worry their symptoms will be written off as stress, hormones or anxiety.
- More than 6 in 10 say they have been explicitly told their pain or symptoms were “normal” or “in their head”.
Mumsnet is calling on the government to make comprehensive training in women’s health and sex-specific medicine mandatory for healthcare professionals. It also wants ring-fenced national funding to ensure Women’s Health Hubs are fully established and accessible across England.
Read the full report on the Mumsnet website here.
- PIF TICK ambassador Dr Aziza Sesay is among 600 women’s health leaders who have warned that social media platforms are censoring medically accurate and “life-saving” women’s health information. An open letter says posts relating to menstruation, fertility, menopause, postpartum recovery and sexual wellbeing are being removed or restricted by automated moderation systems. Read more on the Independent website here.
People are turning to private healthcare
New research from Healthwatch shows a sharp rise in the number of people turning to private care as confidence in accessing NHS hospital services remains low. They found nearly 1 in 7 people have used private services such as non‑urgent treatment and diagnostic tests in the past year. This is almost double the proportion in 2023, with the main reasons given being growing concerns around waiting times, convenience and eligibility.
Healthwatch said people's experiences also highlighted how poor administration, inaccessible information and ineffective complaint-handling are eroding trust. A case study tells how one patient felt they had no option but to go private after an NHS hospital said her hysterectomy surgery was too complex.
Read more about the report on the Healthwatch website here.
Partnership will tackle health inequalities
A partnership led by PIF member National Voices will help ensure the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is better placed to drive improvement for communities experiencing health inequalities. The Voices for Health Equity Partnership brings together organisations with deep experience of tackling health inequalities and strengthening community voice in health and care. Its work will include the introduction of a new free learning programme co-designed with members.
Read more about the partnership on the CQC website here.
Google drops AI health advice feature
The Guardian newspaper has reported that Google has dropped a new artificial intelligence search feature that gave users crowdsourced health advice from amateurs around the world. The “What People Suggest” feature, which provided tips from strangers, has been removed. Google said the move is part of a “broader simplification” of its search page and had nothing to do with the quality or safety of the new feature, the Guardian reports.
The scrapping of the search feature comes after a Guardian investigation, published in January, found people were being put at risk of harm by false and misleading health information in Google AI Overviews. Google later removed AI health search summaries from some health topics. The investigation was supported by PIF and the AI coalition of members including Marie Curie, Macmillan Cancer Support, Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation. PIF continues to work with the Guardian's health editor Andrew Gregory on a series of follow-up articles.
Read more on the Guardian website here.
Children's voices must guide future of healthcare
Children's Health Scotland is undertaking its biggest ever survey to help understand what health and health rights look like for children, young people and families in 2026. People are being urged to take part in the Children’s National Health Rights Survey to make sure children and young people's voices guide the future of healthcare in Scotland. The survey includes version for children and young people, parents and carers, health professionals and local authorities. Surveys should be completed by Monday, 8 June.
Find out more on the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE) website here.
AI prediction tool is helping people with depression
A major international trial has found an AI-driven tool that tailors antidepressant treatment to individual patients improved outcomes for people with depression, compared to standard treatment. The PETRUSHKA tool was developed by the University of Oxford and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research. It uses AI to support treatment personalisation and shared decision-making. In a randomised clinical trial involving more than 500 adults, participants using the tool were less likely to discontinue their antidepressant within the first eight weeks of treatment. The tool was co-produced with people with lived experience of depression.
Read more about the trial on the University of Oxford website here.
New emergency care video resources created
A set of first aid care videos for health workers have been developed in collaboration with WHO’s emergency care team. The 10 new videos cover topics on first aid for snakebite and choking, control of bleeding, moving injured patients, and airway management. The videos aims to convey healthcare information in a way that is easy to understand and remember. They can be used for training both facility-based health workers and community health workers.