A NEW AI-powered physiotherapy clinic is now available to patients in East Lothian.
The clinic, called Flok Health, offers same-day appointments for back pain with "zero wait list" via a smartphone app.
NHS Lothian is the first NHS organisation in the UK to implement this service, which is part of a large-scale pilot following trials last year.
Developed by a team of physiotherapy and AI experts in Cambridge, Flok Health is the first digital musculoskeletal (MSK) clinic to receive approval from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The clinic operates as a collaboration between NHS Lothian, Flok Health, and the Health Innovation South East Scotland (HISES) Hub.
Phil Ackerman, consultant MSK physiotherapist from NHS Lothian, said: "AI-enabled services such as Flok have the potential to improve the patient journey for some people with back pain through providing rapid, flexible access to care."
Flok Health's digital clinic provides patients with individualised treatment through a video call setup that mimics a session with a human physiotherapist.
During NHS trials, 100% of patients rated their experience with the AI physiotherapist as "better or the same as" a human physiotherapist, with 86% reporting symptom improvement.
Patients can self-refer or be referred by participating GP practices, and are given access to video call assessments and, if approved, weekly video appointments.
The service manages patients from initial presentation and assessment through to treatment delivery and discharge, maintaining electronic health records of interactions and outcomes.
