The NHS will begin using AI on its app to direct patients to the right services, it has been announced.
This tool is used to triage patients and see if they should be assigned a GP appointment. Depending on the severity of their symptoms, some people may be advised to go to a pharmacy or local A&E department instead.
The update will be rolled out to 200,000 patients over the next year and is expected to be available to all users by April 2028.
Ending the so-called 8am scramble for same-day GP appointments was a central promise of Labour’s manifesto before its 2024 election victory.
The government has announced that trials at Weldenridge Medical Partnership, which operates surgeries across Sussex, have resulted in a 29% reduction in the number of patients queuing to the company’s phone lines for GP appointments.
The rollout is part of a £10bn government funding package aimed at overhauling technology and data systems within the health service to improve efficiency.
This will include using AI to record patient visits to reduce note-taking time. Officials said a trial led by Great Ormond Street Hospital and conducted across nine London sites found that staff spent 25% more time interacting with patients when using the tool.
Health Secretary James Murray said he was “confident” that new technological advances would “help get patients to the right treatment faster, free up our best clinicians from mountains of red tape and reduce waiting times.”
But health leaders said a broader long-term strategy was needed for the use of AI across the NHS. They expressed concern that there is limited evidence of the productivity gains it brings. He also said he was concerned that patient privacy could be compromised and that patients who are not confident in using technology could be disadvantaged.
Lynn Woolsey, chief nursing officer at the Royal College of Nursing, said the app’s rollout could be “an important step in upgrading technology in the NHS”, but added: “There are also growing concerns about over-hyped and over-optimistic assessments of the productivity benefits of AI, and there are some caveats to be aware of.”
“There should not be a situation where bureaucracy increases because of the need to correct flaws or inaccuracies.
“Patients need to be reassured that new systems handling their information, such as ambient audio technology, are accurate and that confidentiality is adequately protected.”
The Health Foundation’s deputy director for policy, Tim Houghton, said the announcement was a “positive recognition of the sustained investment needed to transform the NHS into a 21st century service”, but said: “It is important that these plans are part of a wider blueprint for reshaping the way care is delivered.”
He added: “The missing piece of the transformation puzzle is a broader long-term strategy to guide the use of AI across the health system, where key questions remain about the approaches and safeguards needed and how more organizations can be supported to benefit from AI. Without this, the NHS risks partial adoption of AI and struggles to achieve benefits at scale.”
NHS Alliance chief executive Ciaran Devane said the key question was how the £10bn investment would be translated into practical support and funding for NHS leaders to implement and scale up programs at local level.
“The general principle should be to maximize the discretion of local leaders to invest in the technologies and solutions that make the most sense for local residents and communities,” he continued.
“Health leaders also need to be clear about which elements are required to be in place and what expectations are placed on their organizations.
“It is vital that this funding is not stripped away, as we have seen time and time again in the past as the savings squeeze hits the NHS capital budget. That would be a very harmful false economy.”
“The real test for patients is whether these investments can make care more cohesive, more convenient and more empowering,” said Pritesh Mistry, a fellow at healthcare charity King’s Fund.
“It should be easier for people to receive support, digitally or physically, at the right time and in the way that works best for them. This means that as clinical services become increasingly reliant on technology, the NHS must continue to focus on ensuring people are not digitally excluded.”
