NHS England has confirmed a waiting list change for 200,000 patients in England as part of plans to improve care. The health body announced the rollout of a new artificial intelligence (AI) triage tool in the NHS App that directs patients to the most appropriate NHS service. This could be a GP surgery, pharmacy, A&E, community service or self-care advice based on responses to a series of questions.
How the AI Triage Tool Works
The NHS said the tool adapts questions depending on a patient’s response to get a more detailed view of their condition. It will then direct them to the most appropriate service or provide clinicians with the information they need to prioritise care. The AI triage tool was initially trialled at a GP practice in Sussex, which resulted in a 29% reduction in the number of people queuing on the phone, helping to end the 8am rush for appointments.
Following the successful trial, the tool is being made available to more than 200,000 patients within the next 12 months and will be available to all NHS App users by April 2028. NHS England said patients will continue to have the option of using traditional methods to contact their GP practice alongside the new AI triage tool.
Benefits for Clinicians and Patients
Sir Jim Mackey, Chief Executive of NHS England, said: “The new AI tool in the NHS App will help get patients to the best service for their needs first time – whether that’s a GP appointment, trip to a pharmacy or advice on caring for themselves at home – so that clinicians can make sure those most in need of a GP appointment can get one sooner.”
He added: “We’re also seeing huge benefits from the introduction of AI notetaking tools, with clinicians finding they’re able to spend up to a quarter more of their time with patients, so we’re rolling out the tools as quickly as possible across the NHS.”
AI Notetaking Tools Rollout
NHS England has also confirmed plans to support a national rollout of AI tools which record conversations between patients and NHS staff to generate real-time transcriptions and clinical summaries. The rollout will start with hospital appointments not requiring an overnight stay. It comes after a major NHS study published last year found that AI notetaking tools, known as ambient voice technology, free up clinicians to spend nearly a quarter more of their time with patients.
The study, led by Great Ormond Street Hospital, found that scaling the technology nationally to more than 11,000 A&E clinicians in England could create space for over 9,000 extra A&E consultations each day. Tens of thousands of NHS staff across south-west London will become the latest to benefit from the tech, 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 at St George’s Hospital in Tooting found that it saved clinicians an average of 47 minutes per shift – allowing each member of staff to see an additional patient every shift.
Broader Digital Investment
Other plans that are part of the £10 billion technology, digital and data investment include NHS App users being able to join online appointments with expert clinicians 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 patients more control of their healthcare.
Additionally, the NHS will introduce a Single Patient Record to provide specialists across the NHS with a full picture of a patient’s medical history, roll out 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 given access to Microsoft Copilot after a trial led to workers cutting the amount of time they spent on admin by an average of two days every month.
Government and NHS Leadership Support
Health and Social Care Secretary, James Murray, added: “I’m certain the technological innovations I’ve chosen to prioritise will get patients to the right care faster, free our brilliant clinicians from mountains of paperwork, and help drive down waiting times. By harnessing the power of AI – using it to direct people to the right service first time and giving clinicians back more time to spend with patients – we’re making the NHS work better for patients and staff alike and helping make it fit for the future for its next 78 years.”
