Great Ormond Street Hospital has shared results of a “landmark study” of AI-scribe technology, evaluating the impact of the TORTUS tool across nine London NHS sites.
Key findings included that clinicians spent “nearly a quarter” more time directly with patients, with findings reportedly already being used to shape national policy and inform NHSE guidance on AI-enabled scribing.
The TORTUS AI-scribing tool, capable of automatically transcribing consultations and drafting summarised clinical notes for clinician review, was evaluated in over 17,000 patient encounters covering hospitals, GP practices, mental health services, and ambulance teams. 92 percent of patients consented to the AI-scribe being used, with feedback suggesting “better engagement” during consultations.
Results showed a 23.5 percent increase in direct patient interaction time during appointments, along with an 8.2 percent reduction in appointment length, and a 35 percent reduction in the number of clinicians feeling “overwhelmed” by note taking, according to GOSH. A&E also saw “particularly strong” results, with a 13.4 percent increase in the number of patients seen per shift.
Economic modelling completed by York Health Economics Consortium found that if one additional patient was seen per shift per clinician, this would equate to £270.93 in added capacity per day. If scaled nationally, this would mean 9,259 extra A&E consultations per day, a saving of £176 million in documentation time, and £658 million in saved capacity annually.
Following the trial, wider rollout of AI-scribe tech is planned across outpatient settings at GOSH from autumn 2025. Dr Shankar Sridharan, GOSH CCIO, said: “By working collaboratively to test this technology across London – from hospitals to ambulances – we’ve proven it can work at scale and make a real difference for both patients and clinicians.”
Health Minister, Stephen Kinnock, noted: “This is exactly the kind of innovation we need as we work to build an NHS fit for the future and end hospital backlogs. By freeing up clinicians from administrative burden to spend more time with patients, we’re not just improving efficiency – we’re enhancing the human connection that sits at the heart of great healthcare. As part of our 10 Year Health Plan, technologies like AI scribes are crucial in our shift from analogue to digital healthcare.”
Wider trend: AI-scribing tech
In a recent HTN Now session, we were joined by experts from across the health and care sector, including Dr Shanker Vijayadeva, GP, NHS England (London region); Rhod Joyce, deputy director of digital transformation, NHS England; Dr Dom Pimenta M.D., co-founder & chief executive officer, Tortus AI; Dr Hannah Allen, chief medical officer, Heidi Health; and Dr Andrew Whiteley, managing director, Lexacom. Our panellists discussed some of the practicalities and key considerations to take into account when it comes to using ambient scribe technology in primary care and general practice. This meant delving into the risks, evidence, compliance, and how to move forward.
Healthcare AI company, Heidi raised $16.6m in a recent round of funding, to help with the development of their AI scribe, said to automate time-consuming note taking and document generation. Early this year, the company announced its ambient AI tech is to be introduced to 53 GP practices, following an agreement with the Modality Partnership, a GP super-partnership. Group CEO and partner at Modality Partnership, Vincent Sai, highlighted their mission to modernise primary care, stating how the “partnership with Heidi Health is a major step forward” with an aim to “free up valuable time for our GPs”.
Accurx has partnered with Tandem Health, a European health tech company, to launch an AI scribe tool for use across the NHS. The tool supports transcribing, summarising and coding of patient consultations into the clinical record, with the ability to write back to EMIS and SystmOne. It is said to provide capabilities to generate referral letters, advice and guidance requests, and draft appointment summaries and follow-up messages that clinicians can send directly to patients or other care providers.
