The largest artificial intelligence trial of its kind globally in
healthcare, involving more than 30,000 NHS workers, has shown how
new technology could generate unprecedented time savings for NHS
staff and lead to better care for patients, in a major
productivity drive.
A groundbreaking pilot of Microsoft 365 Copilot across 90 NHS
organisations found that AI-powered administrative support could
save NHS staff on average 43 minutes per staff member per day or
more – that's five weeks of time per person annually. Results
from the trial show that a full roll-out could save up to 400,000
hours of staff time per month, equating to millions of hours
every year, enabling staff to focus more effectively on frontline
care.
The NHS estimates that the technology could save it millions of
pounds every month based on 100,000 users, which could reach
hundreds of millions of pounds in cost savings every year. That
would be spent on directly improving patient care and frontline
services.
The government is creating a more efficient NHS by harnessing
technology while cutting waste and duplication. NHS productivity
for acute trusts increased by 2.7% between April 2024 and March
2025, exceeding the government's 2% year-on-year target set in
the 10 Year Health Plan.
Better use of tech and AI is a key part of this productivity
boost, along with a focus on efficiencies in elective care,
outpatient reform, and urgent and emergency care.
Health Innovation Minister Dr said:
As an NHS surgeon and clinician, I know how frustrating it can be
to be held up by archaic technology that makes day-to-day tasks
painstakingly long.
This partnership with Microsoft will help free up staff from
spending time on admin so they can focus on what they want to be
doing - treating patients.
Innovations like this will help drive NHS productivity so
patients can get the treatment they need sooner and there is
better value for taxpayers. We're making sure every pound is
spent on cutting waiting times and boosting care through our Plan
for Change.
Currently, over one million online Teams meetings take place
across the NHS each month. With Microsoft 365 Copilot, 83,333
hours in note-taking time could be saved every month. Another
13,200 hours per month could be saved.
The AI personal assistant could also save the health service
271,000 hours a month by summarising complex and long email
chains for clinicians and staff. More than 10.3 million emails
are sent in the NHS each month.
Reducing the administrative burden on NHS staff frees up valuable
time that can be redirected towards patient care and clinical
activities as the health service undergoes the largest digital
transformation in its history.
As part of the government's commitment to shift the NHS from
analogue to digital through the 10 Year Health Plan, the adoption
of new technologies, and working with partners like Microsoft,
are key to making the NHS more efficient.
Darren Hardman, CEO, Microsoft UK & Ireland, said:
This major trial proves the extraordinary potential of AI to
transform healthcare. By reducing admin and giving healthcare
workers back a reported 43 minutes every day, Microsoft 365
Copilot can help the NHS redirect hundreds of thousands of hours
each month towards patient care and potentially save hundreds of
millions of pounds every year.
We're proud to support the NHS in this digital transformation,
which shows how AI can reduce time-consuming admin for NHS
workers and so improve the quality of patient care.
Microsoft Copilot Chat is now available across the whole of the
NHS, at no additional cost for the health service, with Microsoft
365 Copilot being used by more than 50,000 members of staff
across the NHS today. The software works by deploying Microsoft
AI directly into the office software that staff use daily, such
as Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint, enabling
the user to use questions or prompts to get help with tasks and
workflows, helping colleagues to collaborate and manage tasks
more effectively and quickly.
The trial builds on NHS England and Microsoft's existing
partnership to provide all NHS organisations with access to
Microsoft 365 productivity tools, demonstrating how the NHS can
use its collective buying power to secure market-leading products
at reduced cost for taxpayers - while driving forward the
efficiency improvements essential for a modern health service.
