New AI feature will be added to NHS app in ‘major overhaul’ of tech

Officials say new artificial intelligence will be added to the NHS app to direct patients to the most appropriate service.

The rollout of the triage tool is part of a “major overhaul in technology” that will take place over the coming years to transform NHS services.

The technology adapts questions on the NHS app based on answers from patients to get a more detailed view of their condition.

It then directs them to the best service, such as a GP appointment, pharmacy or emergency room.

The update is expected to reach more than 200,000 patients over the next 12 months and will be available to all NHS app users by April 2028.

A trial at a GP practice in Sussex led to a 29% drop in the number of people queuing over the phone for an appointment.

Dr D, from the Wealden Ridge Medical Partnership in Sussex, who led the first trial. Ragu Rajan said: “Integrating AI triage directly into the NHS app means our patients can tell us what they need, when they need it, and be referred to the right care first time.

“This didn’t replace our judgment; it gave us back the time to use it.”

It comes as the health service determines how £10bn of funding allocated by the Government last year will be used to overhaul technology and data systems.

Part of this includes AI recording conversations between patients and staff to create real-time transcriptions and save time on note-taking, and this will be rolled out nationally.

A trial led by Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital (Gosh) at nine NHS centers in London found NHS staff spent almost 25% of their time interacting with patients while using the tool.

The rollout will begin with hospital appointments that do not require overnight stays at four NHS trusts in London – St George’s, Epsom and St Helier, Croydon and Kingston and Richmond.

Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust are also expanding their AI note-taking programmes.

Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS England, said: “The major technology overhaul we will undertake over the next few years will transform services.

“A new AI tool in the NHS app will help patients get the best service for their needs first time, whether it be a GP appointment, a trip to the pharmacy or advice on their own care at home, so clinicians can ensure those who need a GP appointment the most can get one sooner.

“We are also seeing huge benefits from the rollout of AI note-taking tools – clinicians are finding they can spend up to a quarter more of their time with patients, so we are rolling out the tools across the NHS as quickly as possible.

“We prioritize the improvements that will make the biggest difference and support local leaders to adopt them to make changes to their services, helping to reduce waiting lists and improve the care of millions of patients, ensuring the NHS is fit for the future.”

Health Secretary James Murray said: “As the NHS celebrates 78 years of serving patients, this investment shows how we can build on this proud heritage by embracing technologies that will shape its future.

“As a deep believer in the power of technology to transform public services, I have made sure we support the right innovations that will have the biggest positive impact on patients and clinicians and give us the most bang for our buck.

“I am confident that the technological innovations I have chosen to prioritize will get patients to the right care faster, save our talented clinicians from mountains of paperwork, and help reduce wait times.

“By harnessing the power of AI – directing people to the right service first time and giving clinicians time back to spend more time with patients – we are making the NHS work better for both patients and staff, and helping to future-proof it for the next 78 years.”

Responding to the announcement, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said the rollout could be “an important step in improving technology in the NHS”.

“We should be under no illusions about how far the NHS needs to go,” RCN chief nursing officer Professor Lynn Woolsey said.

“With some community care staff still without mobile phones in 2026 and others on the system having to share extremely slow computers with poor connectivity, improvements to basic IT infrastructure must come first.

“New digital technologies, such as AI note-taking, can ease the administrative burden on nursing staff and free up their valuable time for front-line care.

“But with growing concerns about exaggerated and overly optimistic assessments of the productivity benefits of AI, there are also caveats to consider,” Prof Woolsey added.

“We cannot face situations that will increase bureaucracy with the need to correct defective or incorrect work.

“Patient safety must be at the heart of any AI triage system, with a guarantee that a healthcare professional will be the decision maker at key points in the process.”

Prof Woolsey further emphasized the importance of privacy and patient confidentiality, adding: “Patients should be reassured that any new systems that process their information, such as ambient sound technology, are accurate and appropriately protect confidentiality.

“Privacy and security cannot be an afterthought, as everyone has the right to know how and by whom their sensitive data is being used.

“Artificial intelligence and new digital technology should be used in conjunction with appropriate guardrails, staff training and anti-bias measures.”

Stuart Andrew, the Conservative Party shadow health secretary, said: “Any innovation that improves patient care and helps the NHS work more effectively should be welcomed. But new technology needs to be introduced through a fully funded plan that will deliver value to taxpayers.”

“Labour came to government without a credible plan for the NHS, and a million fewer appointments were made in its first years. Modernization cannot be the only alternative to reform.”