A major rollout of new artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the NHS is being accelerated to help cut waiting lists and improve care for millions of patients.
The NHS is prioritising a new AI triage tool in the app to direct patients to the most appropriate service, along with wider access to an AI notetaking tool to reduce administration for staff, as part of the improvements across England.
Today, the NHS is setting out how the £10bn of funding allocated by the government last year will be used over the next three years to deliver a massive overhaul of the health service’s technology, digital and data systems.
These reforms are expected to meet almost half the commitments of the government’s 10-year health plan and generate total benefits of £41 billion over the next decade.
The NHS app’s new AI triage tool is being launched following a successful trial. It is set to reach more than 200,000 patients within the next 12 months and be available to all NHS app users by April 2028.
The tool ensures patients are directed to the right care the first time – whether that’s a GP appointment, pharmacy, A&E, community service or self-care advice – by customising questions based on their responses to gain more detailed information about their condition.
It then either directs them to the most appropriate service or provides the information that physicians need to prioritise care.
An initial trial at a GP practice in Sussex resulted in a 29% reduction in the number of people queuing on the phone – helping to eliminate the 8am rush while maintaining patient satisfaction levels.
Patients will continue to have the option to use traditional methods to contact their GP practice, along with the new AI triage tools in the NHS app.
NHS England will also support the national rollout of an AI tool that records interactions between patients and NHS staff to generate real-time transcriptions and clinical summaries.
The rollout will begin with hospital appointments, with no need for an overnight stay, where their use has helped significantly reduce the time physicians spend on administration.
A major NHS study published last year found that AI notetaking tools, known as ambient voice technology, freed up physicians to spend almost a quarter more of their time with patients.
The study, led by Great Ormond Street Hospital, found that expanding the technology nationally to the more than 11,000 A&E physicians in England could make room for more than 9,000 additional A&E consultations each day.
Thousands of NHS staff in south-west London will benefit from the technology which is being rolled out across four NHS trusts – St George’s; Epsom and St Helier; Croydon; and Kingston and Richmond.
A pilot in the emergency department of St George’s Hospital in Tooting found that the technology saved doctors an average of 47 minutes per shift – allowing each member of staff to see one additional patient per shift.
Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust are also expanding their AI note-taking programs to more than 3,000 physicians following successful pilots.
Other plans, which are part of a £10 billion technology, digital and data investment, include NHS app users being able to attend online appointments with specialist physicians across England using the NHS’s new virtual hospital service – NHS Online.
Patients will also be able to use the NHS app to request follow-up appointments after treatment, and NHS-approved digital tools will help them manage exercise and rehabilitation for common lung and heart conditions, giving them more control over their healthcare.
The NHS will also introduce a single patient record to provide a complete picture of a patient’s medical history to specialists across the NHS, introduce new digital tools to help staff manage urgent and planned patient care more effectively, and enhance cyber security to protect patient data and NHS systems.
More than 500,000 NHS staff are also being provided access to Microsoft Copilot after a trial cut the time staff spent on administration by an average of two days per month.
AI helps personal support staff draft documents and analyse data more efficiently, leaving more time for patient care.
Sir Jim Mackay, chief executive of NHS England.
The huge changes we are seeing in technology over the coming years will transform services.
“The new AI tool in the NHS app will help patients get the best service for their needs for the first time – whether that’s a GP appointment, a visit to the pharmacy or advice on self-care at home – so doctors can ensure that those who most need a GP appointment get one sooner.
“We are also seeing giant benefits from the introduction of the AI notetaking tool, with clinicians feeling they are able to spend a quarter more of their time with patients, so we are rolling out the tool as quickly as possible across the NHS.
“We are prioritising the reforms that will make the most significant difference and supporting local leaders to adopt them to transform their services – helping to cut waiting lists and improve care for millions of patients so the NHS is fit for the future.”
Health and Social Care Secretary
James Murray said: “As the NHS celebrates 78 years of serving patients, this investment shows how we can build on that proud legacy by adopting the technologies that will shape its future.
As someone who believes in the power of technology to transform public services, I have made sure we are supporting the right innovations that will have the most positive impact on patients and clinicians and give us the best value for money.
I am confident that the technological innovations I have chosen to prioritise will deliver the right care to patients more quickly, free our talented physicians from the burden of paperwork, and help reduce wait times.
“By harnessing the power of AI – using it to give people the right service the first time and giving doctors more time to spend with patients – we are making the NHS work better for patients and staff alike and helping to make it fit for the future over the next 78 years.”
Dr Ragu Rajan, from Wealden Ridge Medical Partnership in Sussex, who ran an initial trial of the AI triage tool in the NHS app. Said: “As a rural practice serving 23,000 patients across four sites, we know how difficult it can be for people to reach us.
“Integrating AI triage directly into the NHS app means our patients can tell us what they need, when they need it, and be directed to the right care the first time. It hasn’t replaced our judgement; it’s given us back the time to use it.
Dr Ahmed Mahdi, consultant in emergency medicine for St George’s University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which is rolling out AI notetaking technology, said: “When you’re caring for patients in a fast-paced environment, every second really counts – and this technology can make a real difference by reducing the time we spend on documentation and allowing us to focus on what matters most.
“Such progress means we can see more patients per shift, reducing pressure on staff in an incredibly busy environment, and we’re really excited to be part of an NHS-first rollout that is helping us see more sick and injured people quicker.”
Mark Cuban, Chief Executive of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The whole of the NHS is looking at how technology can support our workforce and help run services more effectively for patients. For an organisation of our size and scale, this initiative is a significant opportunity.
Our trials of ambient sound technology have shown real benefits, allowing practitioners to focus on the human interaction at the heart of healthcare rather than on note-taking and administration.
“The most important thing is to introduce the devices responsibly, with the right safety measures in place, and to involve physicians and teams closely in how they are used.”
