Transcript of the interviews about LEO Broadnook

BBC Radio Leicester’s Ben Jackson came to see Leo Broadnook in action. He interviewed the LEO360® AI Robots’ creator Bita Lyons, and Davidsons Group Managing Director James Wilson to find out more about the pilot at Broadnook. This was part of his Secret Leicester series as part of a programme where he discussed the use of AI in healthcare.

The programme aired on March 6th and was featured on BBC Sounds until 4th of April.

Here’s a transcript of the interview

BJ: Meanwhile, essentially away from NHS – local company, the house builders, Davidsons – who are currently building the Broadnook Development between Burstall and Rothley – have just invested in a thing, that at least in part – is an AI robot which aims to take the pressure of existing services – as they say it’ll be about 3 years until the doctor surgery is built on the development.

Well as I say, the robot is part AI, and it’s currently in a trial period. It’s not configured to deal with emergencies, but could this be the future of our healthcare?

I went down there to find out a bit more.

Robot: Could you tell me the primary reason for your visit today?

Patient: I have a headache

Robot: Just to confirm, you mentioned that you’re here because of a headache is that correct?

Patient: Yes understood.

Robot: Could you describe how long you’ve had this headache; how severe it is and any patterns you’ve noticed.

Patient: It’s started two days ago. It’s pounding the side of my head and it’s level 4 out of 10.

Robot: Thank you

Patient: I want to see a doctor now

Robot: I’ve confirmed an ‘on demand’ appointment with neurologist DR John Smith, or your headache.

JW: Hi I’m James Wilson Group Managing Director of Davidsons Homes here at Broadnook.

BJ: OK, lots of people locally will know what Broadnook is, it’s a big development that is going on, you might just be able to pick out in the background as you know heavy building work going on around us.

I’m not here to talk about building, new houses, housing policy, or anything like that. I’m here to talk about healthcare – why?

JW: Well, we want to understand people’s health and well-being as part of living in a new development. So when we came across Bita Lyons and Leo, in California, she produced this robot and said we think this could work here.

So we said why not? Let’s try and do this. So six months later the robots here. It’s gonna be another three or four years before the doctor surgeries arrive, so we don’t want to add pressure to local services.

We felt this could work as a trial to see if we can take some of the capacity that would otherwise fall on the local GPs for minor things, and we can do it to local level.

BJ: I guess before we go meet him I should say – where does the regulations and certification cover this? Because I couldn’t just set up a computer and say, I’m gonna make sure you’re healthy and all the rest of it. I mean there’s gonna be rules around isn’t there?

JW: Exactly! We’re house builders, so we don’t profess to know all about medical systems – so basically the relationship between our resident as a patient and the GP is the primary relationship – we’re merely providing a means of them communicating

BJ: So, it’s a small room and we go inside, and there’s like a reception area – and then here is where the action is – and when I first heard about this, and you said ‘it’s a robot’ –  I kind of thought well, I kind of got an idea what a robot is. This is a very clever bit of tech – but it’s made to look… – if I may say the inventor’s just behind me and I’m not sure she’ll agree with me. It looks quite cute!

JW: As a robot, you think this is gonna be scary. It’s not at all. There’s nothing to worry about.

BJ: I kind of get the rationale behind it, but I know that you want to extend it, that you are in talks with the NHS locally – and completely reasonably they are very cautious about it – but they want to see how this test goes. Where do you see this ending up?

JW: I think it’s an amazing proposition to have this primary healthcare in a development site. It’s logical that that this fits with the NHS agenda of digital healthcare over the next 10 years and hopefully they’ll take the best bits of this. It’ll be maybe they’ll use this in the NHS as well.

BJ: Facinating to see, is it a glimpse towards the future? We’re gonna talk to a GP actually about that in in a minute or two.

BL: Hello my name is Bita lyons, I’m the founder and Vice Chairman of Lyons Global.

BJ: Just walk me through, is this is this AI? Is this traditional computing? Is it a combination of both? How have you taught it?

BL: It is AI but does not make a clinical decision. It’s empowering the physician how they can be able to see the patient and examining the patient remotely.

BJ: You gave me a bit of a demonstration a minute or two ago, of turning up here on Monday with a bit of a headache that you’ve had for a couple of days – and our little friend here diagnosed you at least triage you – and then then put you through to the doctor.

BL: Yes, it’s basically an AI assistant for the doctors – who collects all the medical information / medical intake form – instead of the doctors’ time asking all these questions. LEO AI captures all the information from you, and then sends all this information to the right doctor.

The doctors joins via the robot and starts to examine you and deep dives into what’s going on with you?

BJ: What’s your name?

DR: My name’s Dipty

BJ: You have volunteered to be triaged. You’re sitting in front of the machine, Dr John Smith – who is not a doctor I don’t think – but he’s sitting in another room somewhere else. Presumably that person could be anywhere in the world?

BL: They can be anywhere in the world but for this UK project, we’re only using UK Doctors who are certified and registered under the UK.

BJ: Dr Smith, can you hear us?

DS: Yes I can hear you!

BJ: So, at this point you’ve already been sort of triaged. You’ve had your vitals taken and all the rest of it – you are quite well, so we are pretending – what’s it been like for you?

DR: It actually diagnosed me with something I had. It sent me to the GP for a blood test. I had the blood test the next day

BJ: And did you not know about it before?

DR: No I didn’t.

BJ: Did you come because it’s the bosses’ new thing, or did you come because you just thought that’s a good thing, I might as well get myself checked?

DR: I came because I was actually intrigued about a robot talking to me.

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