UK health system
NHS readiness, without pretending readiness is certification
nou is a clinician-controlled Clinical Reasoning Desk for complex psychological work. The product is being prepared for formal UK clinical-safety, information-governance, evidence and procurement review. This page distinguishes what exists today from what still requires external validation.
No NHS approval, endorsement or certification is claimed.
Intended-use position
Current product position: nou supports registered clinicians to organise information, structure formulation, review validated measures, compare change over time and prepare clinician-owned outputs. It is not positioned as autonomous diagnosis, treatment, triage or crisis care. Regulatory classification must be confirmed against the final intended purpose and claims before any regulated clinical deployment.
Readiness register
What exists, and what must still be proven
| Area | Nou position | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Clinician authority | AI output stays provisional and editable; clinician judgement remains final. | Implemented |
| Authentication & access control | Authenticated, invite-gated accounts with role separation. | Implemented |
| Auditability | Access, generation and export events are logged when the production database is enabled. | Implemented |
| Clinical safety case | Formal DCB0129-aligned safety case, Clinical Safety Officer ownership and hazard log. | In preparation |
| DTAC evidence pack | Evidence mapped across clinical safety, data protection, technical security, interoperability, usability and accessibility. | In preparation |
| DSPT / NHS data-security pathway | Organisation-level evidence and operating controls required before an NHS-hosted deployment. | In preparation |
| Medical-device classification | Intended-purpose assessment to determine whether any Nou function falls within UK medical-device regulation. | Assessment required |
| NHS interoperability | FHIR/SMART-capable interoperability layer exists in the product codebase; deployment integration requires partner validation. | Technical foundation |
Pilot question
Can Nou give clinicians useful capacity back?
A first NHS feasibility study should test workflow impact rather than make broad outcome claims: time to review a complex case, formulation completeness, information surfaced, clinician corrections/rejections, usability, cognitive load and safety events.
Evidence principle
Measure disagreement, not just acceptance
A credible evaluation must record when clinicians accept, modify or reject AI-assisted suggestions. Disagreement and failure data are evidence, not something to hide.
Proposed institutional pathway
- 1. Lock intended purpose and regulatory classification.
- 2. Complete clinical-safety, data-protection and technical evidence packs.
- 3. Run simulated-case evaluation with registered clinicians.
- 4. Seek an NHS/Health Innovation partner for a governed feasibility pilot.
- 5. Use pilot evidence to support procurement, funding and wider deployment decisions.
Important
This is a product-readiness statement, not an assertion of NHS approval, DTAC approval, DSPT status, UKCA marking, MHRA registration or clinical-safety certification. Those statuses require the applicable formal processes and evidence.