NHS trusts launch major AI voice rollout for clinicians

University Hospitals of Leicester and University Hospitals of Northamptonshire have agreed a joint rollout of AI-based ambient voice technology for clinical documentation, covering more than 10,000 clinicians across acute and community services.

The technology is expected to be used in around 2.5 million outpatient appointments each year as part of a four-year programme. The organisations describe it as the largest rollout of ambient voice technology in secondary care to date.

Ambient voice technology records clinician-patient consultations and generates draft clinical notes, summaries and letters. Clinicians review and edit the drafts before adding them to the record or sharing them with patients and other healthcare professionals.

Accurx will supply the system through its Accurx Scribe product, powered by Tandem. The supplier was selected following a competitive evaluation.

Operational context

The decision follows NHS work to expand the use of digital tools that reduce administration time in frontline services. The organisations pointed to NHS planning guidance encouraging providers to deploy ambient voice technology at pace, alongside longer-term ambitions to automate elements of note-taking.

The rollout will operate under governance arrangements aligned with NHS England guidance. Voice data will be processed securely and in line with clinical and safety standards.

University Hospitals of Leicester and University Hospitals of Northamptonshire operate under a joint Chief Executive and Chair. The Northamptonshire group includes Kettering General Hospital and Northampton General Hospital. Leicester provides services across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and delivers specialist care to a wider population.

Pilot findings

A pilot ran in outpatient clinics, multidisciplinary team meetings and ward rounds across urology, respiratory, dietetics, general surgery and cardiology. It included face-to-face and telephone appointments, creating 1,500 scribed consultations during the trial.

Clinicians reported time savings in post-clinic documentation and day-to-day administration. The pilot indicated an average saving of eight minutes per patient on documentation after clinic and around one hour of administrative time per day.

The pilot also found faster written communication with patients. Letters were sent the same day, down from an average of two to three days previously.

Staff described changes to working patterns, including less time completing notes at home outside working hours. Clinicians also said they were more present with patients during consultations and experienced reduced cognitive load during periods of increased caseload.

Dr Jeremy Tong, Chief Medical Information Officer at University Hospitals of Leicester, described the scale of the shift for clinical teams and patients.

"Ambient Voice Technology will directly benefit patients across Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Leicester, and Rutland, by enabling clinicians to dedicate more time and energy to caring and communicating, and less to administrative tasks. This transformation is clinically led, digitally enabled and operationally delivered, and that approach has been central to our work throughout."

"Following our successful pilot, clinicians told us AVT enabled them to use their time more effectively to focus on patient care, so they could complete referrals or carry out telephone appointments in the knowledge that information would be sent to patients more quickly. It also gave them more confidence when speaking with a patient, because they knew the AVT was capturing key information."

Governance and oversight

Will Monaghan, Group Chief Digital Information Officer for the UHL-UHN group, said the organisations prioritised safety and oversight during evaluation and rollout.

"As members of the Trustworthy and Responsible AI Network (TRAIN), we put a high priority on ensuring the safety of patient data, the accuracy of information recorded, and the importance of human oversight when working with AI systems. The results from the pilot, Accurx's track record on safety and governance and the strong integration of staff feedback made the case compelling," Monaghan said.

"We are excited to be sharing our learnings and leading on the roll out of this cutting-edge technology, which has transformative potential for the way we work. We are also working closely with administrative colleagues to support them during the roll-out, recognising this new technology will change the way we work as an organisation," he added.

The organisations also linked documentation automation to wider service objectives, including managing elective backlogs and improving appointment capacity. They described the technology as part of a broader approach to data-driven change in everyday clinical practice.

Supplier view

Accurx expects ambient scribing to reduce the documentation burden that often extends beyond scheduled shifts. It also said faster written communication after appointments could improve patient experience.

Dr Satya Raghuvanshi, Vice President of Clinical at Accurx, said, "Frontline clinicians routinely face hours playing catch up to documentation outside of their shifts. The roll out of Scribe is about addressing that pressure in a meaningful way and giving them precious time back.

"For patients, it delivers something equally important: clear, immediate communication after an appointment. That shift reduces anxiety, prevents delays in care, and ensures continuity from the moment they leave the consultation. We are proud to work with teams in Leicester and Northamptonshire, who are leading the way in how ambient voice technology can make a genuine difference to life on the frontline, and the experience for patients."

Accurx has also launched an education initiative on implementing ambient voice technology. Leicester and Northamptonshire teams are expected to share lessons from the deployment as the programme progresses.