AI doctors’ assistant to speed up appointments a ‘gamechanger’

NHS clinicians will be supported to use groundbreaking artificial intelligence tools that bulldoze bureaucracy and take notes to free up staff time and deliver better care to patients thanks to guidance published today.

Interim trial data shows that the revolutionary tech has dramatically reduced admin, and meant more people could be seen in A&E, clinicians could spend more time during an appointment focusing on the patient, and appointments were shorter.

Through its Plan for Change the government is getting the NHS back on its feet and slashing waiting lists. Guidance published today will encourage the use of these products - which use speech technologies and generative AI to convert spoken words into structured medical notes and letters - across a range of primary and secondary care settings, including hospitals and GP surgeries.

The government's mission-led approach is driving forward the use of innovative tech and new approaches to reform the health system and improve care for patients – offering them quicker and smarter care.

One of the tools – ambient voice technologies (AVTs) – can transcribe patient-clinician conversations, create structured medical notes, and even draft patient letters.

Patient safety and privacy will be paramount. This is why the guidance will focus on data compliance and security, risk identification and assessment, while ensuring that staff are properly trained before using the technology. 

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:

AI is the catalyst that will revolutionise healthcare and drive efficiencies across the NHS, as we deliver our Plan for Change and shift care from analogue to digital.

I am determined we embrace this kind of technology, so clinicians don't have to spend so much time pushing pens and can focus on their patients.

This government made the difficult but necessary decision at the Budget to put a record £26 billion into our NHS and social care including cash to roll out more pioneering tech.

The NHS England funded, London-wide AVT work, led by Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, has evaluated AVT capabilities across a range of clinical settings - Adult Outpatients, Primary Care, Paediatrics, Mental Health, Community care, A+E and across London Ambulance Service.

This multi-site evaluation involving over 7000 patients has demonstrated widespread benefits. Interim data shows:

• Increase in direct care – clinicians spending more time spent with patients rather than typing on a computer
• Increase in productivity in A&E – the technology has supported more patients to be seen in emergency departments by carrying out admin for A&E staff

At GOSH, AVTs have listened to consultations and drafted clinic notes and letters. These were then edited and authorised by the clinician before being uploaded to the secure electronic health record system and sent on to patients and their families. Clinicians agreed the AI helped them offer more attention to their patients without affecting the quality of the clinic note or letter. 

Dr Maaike Kusters, Paediatric Immunology Consultant at GOSH, says:

The patients I see in my clinics have very complex medical conditions and it's so important to make sure I capture what we discuss in our appointments accurately, but often this means I am typing rather than looking directly at my patient and their family.

Using the AI tool during the trial meant I could sit closer to them face-to-face and really focus on what they were sharing with me, without compromising on the quality of documentation.

As it stands, clinicians in hospitals and GP surgeries are forced to spend much of their consultations recording information into a computer instead of focusing on the patient in front of them. 

Once the patient has left, they are often required to take that information and summarise it in documents like referral letters. The government is determined to reform these outdated ways of working and revolutionise care, and this innovative tech will do that work for them, so they can see their next patient. 

The Jean Bishop Integrated Care Centre in East Hull (part of City Health Care Partnership) has introduced an ambient scribing product to make their documentation process faster and better support their work to care for people living with frailty. 

By converting a conversation with a patient into a clinical note, the ambient scribing product is freeing up time for a range of staff including GPs, consultants, nurses, and physiotherapists.

Thanks to government action, GP surgeries delivered 31.4 million appointments last month– a 6.1% increase on the previous year – and waiting lists have fallen by 219,000 patients. This technology will help consolidate this progress. 

The government is already using AI to speed up diagnosis and treatment for a range of health issues - spotting pain levels for people who can't speak, diagnosing breast cancer quicker, and getting people discharged quicker. 

Notes to editors

Dr Andrew Noble, a doctor working at a care centre in Hull, says:

By embracing this innovative technology, we've optimised our resources and empowered our clinicians and entire multidisciplinary team. 

The positive feedback from both staff and patients shows just how valuable this project has been.

We're excited to keep exploring what AI can do for us and to continue enhancing patient care and clinical efficiency.

Dr Vin Diwakar, National Director of Transformation at NHS England, said:

This exciting technology can reduce the burden of administration, allowing patients more quality time with their clinician, and our new guidance shows the NHS's ability to rapidly and safely harness the very latest innovations to transform healthcare and bring benefits for our hardworking staff and our patients.