A recent trial across nine NHS sites in London demonstrated that AI tools significantly enhance healthcare efficiency by increasing patient-clinician interactions and reducing appointment lengths, with nearly 17,000 patient interactions recorded.

In emergency departments, the AI tool Tortus improved efficiency by increasing the number of patients seen per shift by 13.4% and halving the time needed for initial notes, allowing staff to focus more on patient care.

AI assistants at Great Ormond Street Hospital are set to expand across outpatient services this autumn, aiming to improve patient care and reduce administrative burdens.

This AI technology combines speech recognition and AI to filter background noise and irrelevant conversation, streamlining documentation and supporting clinicians in busy healthcare settings.

Health Minister Stephen Kinnock highlighted that this AI innovation not only boosts efficiency but also strengthens the human connection in healthcare, aligning with the NHS's future digital transformation goals.

Health officials emphasize that AI tools support the NHS's aim to reduce administrative burdens, improve operational efficiency, and foster better patient-clinician relationships.

Economic models predict that nationwide adoption of Tortus could enable over 9,200 additional A&E consultations daily, saving around £176 million annually in documentation costs and freeing capacity worth over £658 million each year.

Dr. Shankar Sridharan from Great Ormond Street NHS Trust emphasized that the trial demonstrates NHS leadership in safe AI adoption at scale, benefiting both patients and clinicians.

NHS England's Dr. Vin Diwakar stated that enabling clinicians to spend more time with patients—up to 25% more—by reducing administrative tasks leads to better care and less workload.

Tortus, an ambient voice technology, transcribes consultations and generates summaries automatically, helping clinicians by reducing administrative workload and allowing more focus on patient interaction.

If clinicians could see just one extra patient per shift using this AI, the NHS could generate approximately £270 in capacity per day, highlighting the significant cost and efficiency benefits of the technology.