NHS to roll out AI tools to 500,000 staff by 2026

MORE than 500,000 NHS staff will be given access to new artificial intelligence tools aimed at reducing time spent on administrative work, NHS England said on Monday.

NHS England said 505,000 clinicians and support staff would receive access to Microsoft 365 Copilot as part of plans to expand AI use across healthcare services.

The AI assistant can help staff draft documents, analyse data and complete administrative tasks more quickly, allowing more time for patient care.

The move follows a trial involving more than 30,000 NHS workers across 90 NHS organisations using Microsoft 365 Copilot.

According to NHS England, the trial found AI-powered administrative support could save staff an average of 43 minutes a day, or around five weeks a year. It said this could amount to about two days of administrative time saved each month for every staff member.

Rob Thompson, Chief Digital, Data and Technology Officer at NHS England, said: “The NHS wants to embrace cutting-edge technology and this Microsoft partnership will mean staff can be freed from admin so they can focus more of their time on what matters most – improving care for patients.

“Innovations like this will help drive NHS productivity so patients can get the treatment they need sooner and there is better value for taxpayers.

“The potential to save NHS staff around 2 days of admin time every month could be a gamechanger for patients.

“As part of our 10 Year Health Plan, we’re making sure every pound is spent on cutting waiting times and boosting care.”

Health Innovation and Safety Minister Preet Kaur Gill said: “Technology should support our NHS staff, not slow them down.

“Every day, doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals spend valuable time on administrative tasks that take them away from patients. By rolling out Microsoft Copilot across the NHS, we can reduce that burden, free up clinicians’ time and help staff focus on what they do best: caring for patients.”

NHS England said Copilot could be used for clinical administration, patient discharge processes, rota management, drafting patient letters and administrative functions including HR, finance and procurement.

The rollout to more than 500,000 NHS staff is expected to be completed by October 2026.