Project: LocANTS AI: Automated Neonatal Risk Stratification Support System

LocANTS-AI revolutionises neonatal care by combining remote high-resolution monitoring with an AI-powered decision-support system, reducing unnecessary newborn transfers.

Transferring ill infants from Level 2 or 3 hospitals to specialised facilities is costly, logistically complex, and risky. LocANTS-AI is a cloud-based risk stratification system with a portable, high-resolution two-way video conferencing facility that uses the Gradient Boost machine learning model to help determine the severity of jaundice in newborns, and therefore their risk of developing complications that require higher-graded hospital care.

Neonatal transfers place a significant financial strain on the NHS, create immense emotional and physical stress for families, and expose vulnerable newborns to additional health risks due to their underdeveloped organs. Every year, approximately 16,000 newborns – many from disadvantaged backgrounds – are transferred, sometimes over 75 miles from their families.

LocANTS-AI proposes to minimise unnecessary newborn transfers, reduce family distress, cut NHS costs, ease pressure on specialist resources, and bridge healthcare inequalities between urban and suburban communities. It could also contribute to environmental sustainability goals, including Net Zero, by reducing the number of ambulance journeys undertaken to transfer babies between hospitals.