AI note-taking pilot returns thousands of hours to NHS teams

An eight-month NHS pilot of ambient voice technology reduced clinicians’ documentation time to less than four minutes per patient on average and released tens of thousands of hours to frontline teams.

Writing clinical notes can consume time during and after appointments, adding pressure to staff and distracting from conversations with patients.

Walsall Healthcare tested Heidi Health’s system across emergency care, dermatology, audiology, gynaecology and other services. The technology securely listens to a consultation and drafts structured notes, which a clinician must review, edit where needed and approve before they enter the patient record. Following the pilot, Walsall Healthcare and the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust selected Heidi as their preferred supplier.

The measured time saving suggests carefully supervised automation can reduce paperwork without removing professional oversight. The trusts have not published error rates, patient feedback or a detailed independent evaluation, so accuracy, consent and privacy will remain important during expansion.

The system will first reach emergency departments and outpatient specialties at both trusts, with rollout across all areas planned by 2028.