The Bolton NHS Trust is one of dozens of trusts across the country in line for a slice of more than £20 million towards the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The technology is to be used in the diagnosis of lung cancer, by analysing X-Rays and CT-Scans, speeding up the pathway towards recovery in the process.

Already the technology is used in other areas such as in the diagnosis of a stroke, where it is said to reduce the time between admission and treatment by more than one hour.

It is seen as a way to relieve some of the pressure on the service and the staff in particular with the approach of winter.

The Bolton NHS Trust is one of 64 trusts across the country in line for a slice of more than £20 million towards the use of AI after an announcement by the Health Secretary.

READ MORE: Bolton: Staff feel lack of respect and support at NHS Trust.

Its chief operating officer Rae Wheatcroft said: “We are always working to provide the highest levels of care possible for our patients. Using digital technology to help us to diagnose our patients quicker, as well as to improve our accuracy, will help us to further enhance the experience our patients have with us.

“We welcome the investment and we look forward to how we can make a difference for our patients with this new technology.”

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: "We are rolling out cutting-edge AI technology across the NHS to help with diagnosis because lung cancer patients deserve the best care possible. Already AI is used to halve treatment times for stroke patients, and to assist doctors in analysing scans, reducing the time between admission and treatment by more than one hour.

"We are building on this success to make sure lung cancer patients get the support they need when they need it."

The national director of transformation at NHS England, Dr Vin Diwakar, said: "AI is already helping to save lives from faster diagnosis of a stroke allowing faster treatment to providing patients with their personalised risk of a heart attack allowing their clinicians to intervene earlier.

"This investment will allow 64 NHS trusts from across the country to harness the power of AI to tools to speed up the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer."

This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.