NHS app to use AI to determine which service best for patients

NHS app to use AI to determine which service best for patientsImage source, PA MediaImage caption, The tool will be rolled out to more than 200,000 patients in the next year, the NHS saidByEmily AtkinsonPublishedJust nowArtificial intelligence will be used on the NHS app to determine which service is most appropriate for patients in England, the health service has announced.A new triage tool will ask patients a series of questions, and will use the responses to direct them to a GP appointment, pharmacy, A&E, community service or offer self-care advice.NHS England said the update would reach more than 200,000 patients in the next 12 months and be available to all app users by April 2028 as part of "major overhaul" of its technology. The rollout has been largely welcomed, but some health bodies urged the NHS to prioritise patient safety, confidentiality and inclusion as it grows more reliant on AI.An initial trial of the tool at Wealden Ridge Medical Partnership in Sussex saw a 29% reduction in the number of people queuing on the phone for an appointment.Dr Ragu Rajan, who works at the practice, said integrating the tool "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."Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS England, said the tool would "help get patients to the best service for their needs first time... so that clinicians can make sure those most in need of a GP appointment can get one sooner".It comes as part of a £10bn investment, allocated by the government in 2025, to overhaul the NHS's technology, digital and data systems.There will also be an England-wide rollout of AI tools that record conversations between patients and NHS staff to generate real-time transcriptions and clinical summaries.It will start with hospital appointments not requiring an overnight stay at four NHS...