More than half a million NHS staff are
being given access to new AI tools that could free up an average
of two days every month from admin
duties, freeing up more
time for the duties that matter most for patients and
staff.
NHS England today announced that it is
significantly accelerating AI adoption across healthcare services
by providing 505,000 clinicians and support staff with access to
Microsoft 365 Copilot.
The AI personal assistant helps
clinicians to draft documents and analyse data more
efficiently to focus more
time on patient care.
The agreement follows the largest AI
trial of its kind globally in healthcare, which provided more
than 30,000 NHS workers across 90
NHS organisations with access to Microsoft 365
Copilot.
It found that AI-powered
administrative support could save an average of 43 minutes per
staff member per day or more, which equates to 5 weeks of time
per person annually.
Results from the trial showed that a
full roll-out of Microsoft 365
Copilot could save
millions of hours of staff time per
month.
Rob Thompson, Chief Digital,
Data and Technology Officer at NHS England,
said:
“The NHS wants to
embrace cutting-edge technology and
this Microsoft partnership will mean staff can be freed from
admin so they can focus more of their time on what matters most – improving
care for 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.
“The potential to
save NHS
staff around two days of
admin time every month could be a gamechanger for
patients.
“As part of our 10
Year Health Plan, we're making sure every pound is spent on
cutting waiting times and boosting
care.”
Health Innovation and Safety
Minister, ,
said:
“Technology should support our NHS
staff, not slow them down.
“Every day, doctors, nurses and other
healthcare professionals spend valuable time on administrative
tasks that take them away from patients. By rolling out Microsoft
Copilot across the NHS, we can reduce that burden, free up
clinicians' time and help staff focus on what they do best caring
for patients.
“This government is putting innovation
to work for patients: helping staff work more efficiently,
improving productivity and supporting a modern NHS that delivers
better care, faster access to treatment and better value for
taxpayers.”
Darren Hardman, CEO, Microsoft
UK & Ireland, said:
“By rolling out Microsoft 365 Copilot
at scale, NHS teams can cut through everyday admin and spend more
time where it matters most.
“Bringing AI safely into the flow of
healthcare will help ease pressures, improve productivity and
support better decision-making across the health
service.
“We're proud to work with NHS England
to help tackle some of its biggest challenges and accelerate
digital transformation for the benefit of staff and patients
alike.”
Copilot helps users
create, analyse and get work done
faster.
NHS England anticipates that
Copilot will be harnessed in multiple ways across all aspects of
the healthcare service,
including:
· Clinical administration: assisting
clinicians in drafting letters and registrar
training
· Ward clerks: helping with patient
discharge processes, service data analysis, rota building and bed
management
· Medical secretaries: helping with
the drafting of patient letters, meeting minutes and creating
templates for consistency
· Core services: assisting HR, finance
and procurement functions
· Management: helping to draft board
papers, briefings, organisational
analysis
Each NHS trust will receive a central
allocation of licences based
on organisational headcount, typically starting at
around 2,000 Copilot Microsoft
365 licences.
Rollout to the more than
500,000 staff across the NHS is expected by October
2026.
