AI Assistant Helps NHS Clinicians Spend 25% More Time With Patients and See More People Faster

NHS Staff Spend Nearly 25% More Time with Patients Using AI Assistant

Healthcare staff across the NHS have been able to increase their direct patient interaction time by almost 25% thanks to an AI assistant named Tortus. This tool transcribes consultations automatically and creates summaries for clinicians to review, reducing time spent on administrative tasks.

Tortus employs ambient voice technology, combining speech recognition and AI to capture essential medical information from conversations while filtering out irrelevant noise. The trial, led by Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH), took place across nine NHS sites in London, including hospitals, GP surgeries, mental health services, and ambulances.

Trial Results: Efficiency and Patient Care

• The platform increased clinician-patient interaction time by 23.5% during appointments.
• Overall appointment lengths were reduced by 8.2%.
• In emergency departments, the number of patients seen per shift rose by 13.4%.
• The time needed to complete initial patient notes was cut in half in A&E settings.

Dr Shankar Sridharan, Chief Clinical Information Officer at GOSH, highlighted the importance of collaboration in testing this technology across various NHS settings, confirming it can work at scale to benefit both patients and clinicians.

Impact on Emergency Departments and National Potential

In fast-paced emergency departments, Tortus helped streamline documentation, allowing clinicians to focus more on patient care. Dr Ahmed Mahdi, consultant in emergency medicine at St George’s University Hospital, described the technology as a valuable tool for improving efficiency and cutting administrative load.

Economic analysis by York Health Economics Consortium suggests that if Tortus were adopted nationally, it could enable an additional 9,259 A&E consultations daily. This would save an estimated £176 million in documentation time and create £658 million in additional healthcare capacity annually.

Next Steps for NHS AI Integration

GOSH plans to roll out AI scribe technology across outpatient services starting this autumn. NHS England's clinical transformation director, Dr Vin Diwakar, emphasized that freeing clinicians from typing duties enhances patient care and reduces administrative burdens.

Health Minister Stephen Kinnock stated that innovations like this are essential for building an NHS ready for the future and reducing hospital backlogs. By allowing clinicians to spend more time with patients, the AI assistant supports both efficiency and the critical human connection in healthcare.

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