Thames Freeport Launches Health AI Mobilisation Centre
Thames Freeport is launching a new initiative focused on helping primary care teams, including GP surgeries, use technology that can make everyday work easier and support better care for patients.
Backed by a £3.3m Government investment, the Health AI Mobilisation Centre, opening in early 2026, will deploy and showcase NHS-ready AI tools inside primary care settings across Thurrock, Havering and Barking & Dagenham. This call out is designed for innovators, while its wider aim is to improve access to care and provide better support for local residents.
Why Thames Freeport Is Doing This
Across Havering, Thurrock and Barking & Dagenham, GP practices are facing rising demand, workforce pressures and an increasing administrative burden, while communities with the greatest health needs often have the least access to digital health capability.
At the same time, hundreds of high-quality AI tools already exist, yet many struggle to scale because GP surgeries often lack the time, resources or support needed to adopt them safely.
Participants in the programme will help shape a playbook that sets out how GP practices can safely adopt these tools and integrate them into everyday care.
How Will It Support?
The Health AI Mobilisation Centre addresses this challenge by creating a coordinated and scalable model for safely deploying AI where it can deliver immediate benefits.
The Centre aligns with NHS England priorities around digitisation, data interoperability and the safe adoption of AI.
By bringing together innovators, NHS partners, local authorities and leading transformation experts, the programme will develop a model for deploying AI safely in primary care environments where it can have immediate operational impact.
The focus is on supporting GP practices with tools that make a practical difference in day-to-day care.
Who Will Benefit
Patients and Communities
• Faster access to GP services
• More proactive and personalised care
• Better communication, especially for people facing language or accessibility barriers
• Reduced inequalities across our three boroughs
GP Practices and NHS Staff
• Tools that reduce pressure, automate administrative tasks and free up clinical time
• Practical workforce training and wrap-around support
• Governance, integration and technical assistance to support safe adoption
Innovators and Solution Providers
• An opportunity to pilot technology in live NHS environments
• Access to multiple Primary Care Networks across East London
• Real-world evidence to support scale and future NHS procurement
• Direct collaboration with L Marks, PUBLIC, Avencera and local NHS partners
The Wider Region
• Growing a digital health capability anchored in the Thames Estuary
• Supporting local job creation, digital inclusion and long-term economic resilience
• Strengthening the Freeport’s leadership in socially minded innovation
What the Centre Will Do
The programme will support GP practices in two key ways.
1. Live Deployment of AI Solutions
Working closely with Together First CIC, Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), local Primary Care Networks and local authorities, selected innovators will embed their technologies directly into day-to-day operations within participating GP surgeries.
2. Workforce Training and Wrap-Around Support
Practices will receive hands-on training, technical integration support and guidance on compliance, clinical safety and responsible AI use.
The aim is to deliver safe deployment, measurable outcomes and a model that other regions can adopt.
This is a delivery-focused programme designed to support GP practices across the region.
What We’re Looking For
We are inviting UK and international solution providers with high-readiness (TRL 7–9) tools that can make primary care more efficient, inclusive and data-driven.
We particularly welcome solutions focused on:
Data Management, Capture & Structuring
Tools that improve data flow, interoperability and predictive planning.
Optimising Services
AI tools that enhance operational efficiency, including intelligent triage and rota optimisation.
Transforming Patient Experience
Tools that reduce waiting times, improve communication and support patient self-management, particularly for underserved groups.
Solutions must meet baseline compliance requirements, including DTAC, clinical safety and information governance, and must be ready for short real-world deployment.
Why Partner With Thames Freeport
Participants will:
• Showcase innovation in NHS primary care
• Generate evidence for scale and national adoption
• Access expertise from L Marks, PUBLIC, MH&A and NHS partners
• Develop a reusable model for safe AI mobilisation
• Engage with the Freeport’s wider innovation ecosystem, including industry and local authorities
• Strengthen the business case for long-term commercial pathways
Successful pilots may lead to multi-year adoption within GP practices across the region.
How the Programme Works
Stage 1 – Open Call & Scouting (4 Dec – 7 Jan 2026)
Applications will be reviewed for innovation, feasibility, potential impact and local relevance.
Stage 2 – Shortlisting
Internal assessment followed by expert partner review.
Stage 3 – Selection (w/c 12 Jan 2026)
Final innovators selected for deployment.
Stage 4 – Pilot Delivery (Jan – Mar 2026)
Live implementation in GP surgeries with full support.
How This Fits Into Thames Freeport’s Wider Health Innovation Mission
The Health AI Mobilisation Centre forms part of a broader shift at Thames Freeport to support healthier and more resilient communities while building digital capability across the region.
Alongside this programme, Thames Freeport is also launching the Mobile Health Innovation Platform (MHIP), a first-of-its-kind pilot in the region that will bring AI-enabled preventative healthcare into underserved neighbourhoods through a dedicated Mobile Health Unit.
MHIP focuses on early diagnostics and prevention for long-term conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, generating real-world evidence for NHS adoption while helping reduce longstanding barriers to early care.
Together, these two programmes form a growing Health Innovation Ecosystem within the Freeport, using logistics assets, partnerships and data infrastructure to test technology locally, reduce inequalities and ensure innovation benefits residents across Thurrock, Havering and Barking & Dagenham.
Both initiatives support the same mission:
connecting global innovation to local opportunity while improving people’s everyday lives through practical and inclusive solutions.
