NHS England to speed up rollout of app AI triage tool to reduce GP demand

NHS England said it will speed up the planned rollout of an AI patient triage tool in the NHS App, following the success of a local pilot which reduced demand on GP services.

The commissioner said the ‘My NHS GP’ tool, which uses AI to ask patients tailored questions before directing them to the most appropriate NHS service, will now be expanded to more than 200,000 patients over the next year.

It will then become available to all NHS App users by April 2028, as announced in the 10-year plan.

The announcement forms part of NHS England’s plans for how £10bn of technology, digital and data funding over the next three years will be spent.

The investment will also fund a national rollout of AI notetaking technology, expansion of the NHS Online virtual hospital service, the Single Patient Record, new digital tools for managing urgent and planned care, and wider access to Microsoft Co-pilot for NHS staff.

According to NHS England, the pilot at Wealden Ridge Medical Partnership in Sussex helped reduce the number of patients waiting on the phone by 29%, while maintaining patient satisfaction.

Patients using the tool are directed to the most appropriate service, such as a GP appointment, pharmacy, A&E, community services or self-care, or their information is passed to clinicians to help prioritise care.

Earlier this year, NHSE had said that the new tool was necessary to meet demand in general practice because the ‘money isn’t there’ to tackle it by other means.

NHS England has not published further details of the pilot, including how many patients used the tool, whether demand shifted from the telephone to online requests, or whether the technology reduced overall workload for the practice.

Patients will continue to be able to contact their GP practice through existing routes alongside the NHS App, NHS England stressed.

NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey said: ‘The major overhaul of tech we’re making over the next few years will transform services.

‘The new AI tool in the NHS App will help get patients to the best service for their needs first time – whether that’s a GP appointment, trip to a pharmacy or advice on caring for themselves at home – so that clinicians can make sure those most in need of a GP appointment can get one sooner.

‘We’re also seeing huge benefits from the introduction of AI notetaking tools, with clinicians finding they’re able to spend up to a quarter more of their time with patients, so we’re rolling out the tools as quickly as possible across the NHS.

‘We’re prioritising the improvements that will make the biggest difference and supporting local leaders to adopt them to drive change in their services – helping to cut waiting lists and improve care for millions of patients so that the NHS is fit for the future.”

Health secretary James Murray, said: ‘As someone who believes deeply in the power of tech to transform public services, I’ve made sure we’re backing the right innovations, which will have the biggest positive impact on patients and clinicians and give us the biggest bang for our buck.

‘I’m certain the technological innovations I’ve chosen to prioritise will get patients to the right care faster, free our brilliant clinicians from mountains of paperwork, and help drive down waiting times.

‘By harnessing the power of AI – using it to direct people to the right service first time and giving clinicians back more time to spend with patients – we’re making the NHS work better for patients and staff alike and helping make it fit for the future for its next 78 years.’

Dr Ragu Rajan from Wealden Ridge Medical Partnership in Sussex, which ran the initial trial of the AI triage tool in the NHS App, said: ‘As a rural practice serving 23,000 patients across four sites, we know how hard it can be for people to reach us.

‘Integrating AI triage directly into the NHS App means our patients can tell us what they need, when they need it, and be directed to the right care first time. It hasn’t replaced our judgement – it’s given us back the time to use it.’

However it comes as a survey of the public carried out by the Health Foundation earlier this year found that less than half (49%) of respondents would be willing to use the ‘My NHS GP’ feature.

The think tank’s deputy durector of policy Tim Horton said: ‘Health Foundation polling has shown that the public supports many of the proposed new uses of the NHS App, but not all are equally enthusiastic, especially when it comes to using AI. So, the NHS must monitor the uptake of these new tools and engage with users to ensure they work for all.

‘The missing piece in the transformation puzzle is a broader long-term strategy for guiding the use of AI across the health system, where important questions remain about the approaches and safeguards needed, and how more organisations can be supported to benefit from AI. Without this, the NHS risks piecemeal adoption of AI, struggling to achieve benefits at scale.’