From Innovation to Implementation: Exploring AI in Healthcare with Charlotte Fox

Meet Charlotte Fox, Innovation and Intellectual Property Lead at The Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and a learner on our Artificial Intelligence: Foundations for Practice and Research programme. We caught up with Charlotte to hear why she decided to explore AI, what she took away from the course, and how she hopes to apply her learning to support innovation across the NHS.

Who are you and why did you choose to enrol on Artificial Intelligence: Foundations for Practice and Research?

I’m the Innovation and Intellectual Property Lead at The Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. We employ around 16,000 people and spend over a billion pounds each year delivering care. Every day I see staff improving services and finding better ways to care for patients and increasingly, many are keen to explore how AI could support that work.

I’m passionate about helping colleagues turn ideas into real-world impact, and AI is clearly an emerging technology that will influence future healthcare delivery. I enrolled on this course to start my learning journey properly, build a strong foundation, and understand how to apply that knowledge to better support our teams.

What did you most enjoy about the course?

I really valued the mentorship throughout the course. Having the chance to learn directly from an industry expert, ask questions, and explore real examples helped bring the subject to life. It deepened my understanding of both AI’s potential and the importance of using it ethically and responsibly, and it genuinely left me feeling inspired about what could be possible in practice.

What was your capstone project about?

For my capstone project, I explored how AI methods could support the management and protection of intellectual property across our NHS Trust. I can see real potential for AI to strengthen and streamline processes- helping us spot opportunities earlier, manage them more consistently, and ultimately speed up the translation of research into patient benefit.

What are your plans for the future?

Alongside colleagues who joined the course, I’m keen to help build a community of practice that supports Newcastle Hospitals’ approach to AI; encouraging curiosity, practical experimentation and shared learning.

It would be a place to explore and sense‑check ideas early, and then align promising work to our agreed standards, governance and assurance routes. By growing foundational knowledge together- and helping people navigate the right pathways, we’ll be better placed to use AI safely, ethically and effectively for patients and staff.