The UK government has issued new guidelines to integrate advanced AI tools into the NHS, aiming to streamline administrative tasks and enhance patient care. This initiative seeks to reduce bureaucracy, enabling clinicians to devote more time to patient interactions. The guidelines from the Department of Health and Social Care promote the use of AI technologies that can transcribe spoken interactions into structured medical documents across various healthcare settings, including hospitals and GP surgeries.
Trial data indicates that these AI tools substantially decrease administrative burdens, resulting in shorter appointments and increased capacity for patient care, particularly in emergency departments. Ambient voice technologies (AVTs) play a key role, transcribing conversations between patients and clinicians and generating medical notes and patient correspondence.
The Plan for Change, an effort by the government to reform healthcare and reduce waiting lists, incorporates AI innovations as a core component. The guidance underscores the importance of patient safety and privacy, focusing on data compliance, security, and proper training for staff using the technology. “AI is the catalyst that will revolutionise healthcare and drive efficiencies across the NHS, as we deliver our Plan for Change and shift care from analogue to digital,” said Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting.
Evaluating AI’s impact on healthcare
NHS England, in partnership with Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, has been assessing AVT capabilities in various clinical environments. The evaluation, involving more than 7,000 patients, demonstrates benefits such as increased direct patient care and enhanced productivity in A&E departments as AI takes over administrative duties.
At Great Ormond Street Hospital, AVTs are employed to draft consultation notes, which clinicians review for accuracy before adding them to electronic health records. Clinicians report that the technology assists them in focusing more on patient interactions without compromising documentation quality.
Traditional documentation practices require clinicians to spend significant time on administrative tasks, often detracting from patient care. The government aims to reform these practices by allowing AI to handle documentation, thus enabling clinicians to allocate more time to patients. The Jean Bishop Integrated Care Centre in East Hull has already adopted ambient scribing technology to expedite documentation and support frailty care.
Recent statistics show that GP surgeries delivered 31.4 million appointments last month, a 6.1% increase from the previous year, with waiting lists reduced by 219,000 patients. The integration of AI technology is crucial to maintaining this progress. The NHS uses AI to enhance diagnostic speed, reduce errors, automate tasks, cut costs, and potentially lower mortality rates.
In 2019, the UK government allocated £250m for the NHS AI Lab to harness AI for patient care improvement. Some of the current AI applications include Microsoft’s InnerEye system for prostate cancer scans and HeartFlow technology for coronary heart disease assessment. Additional AI initiatives include the “C the Signs” app for early cancer detection and Google’s DeepMind technology for rapid eye condition diagnosis in collaboration with Moorfields Eye Hospital.
Read more: UK government launches AI Accelerator to enhance public services
