An “AI nurse” is supporting Barts Health NHS Trust, said to conduct routine check-ins and collect information from patients before handing over to clinical teams..
The introduction of the Ovia AI-powered telephone monitoring service is part of the trust’s expansion of its virtual wards and remote monitoring, particularly focusing on patients with heart and lung conditions. It works by calling patients at a pre-agreed time and asking a series of simple questions, rather than requiring patients to use a smartphone app to submit data such as blood pressure readings, which Barts Health reports has previously been a barrier for some patients. Information gathered is then sent directly to clinical teams, allowing for health professionals to “remain fully in control” and step in where needed, the trust shares.
The pilot is currently focusing on patients identified as having previously struggled to engage using digital tools, Barts Health notes, and is in use by more than 30 respiratory patients. Respiratory teams are automatically alerted if a drop in oxygen levels is detected, allowing them to review the patient’s condition, promoting earlier intervention or adjustments to treatment to help avoid deterioration and hospital admission. Deji Olajide, specialist respiratory physiotherapist, said: “It takes away a lot of the routine check-in calls, which means we can spend more time supporting patients who need more complex care.”
Debashish Das, consultant cardiologist at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, spoke of the team’s excitement at the programme’s potential, adding: “It could open up remote monitoring to many more patients who might otherwise miss out. In future, we also want to offer this in different languages, so more of our diverse east London communities can benefit. This isn’t about replacing healthcare staff – it’s about supporting them. The AI takes care of routine data collection, so teams can spend more time focusing on patient care.”
The trust shares that it is currently evaluating the impact of the programme, with early findings suggesting remote monitoring reduced healthcare utilisation during winter 2024/25. Results are set to be shared at the European Respiratory Society Congress in September 2026.
Wider trend: The role of digital tools in improving efficiency
East Cheshire NHS Trust has published its latest quality and safety strategy to 2031, sharing ambitions to increase direct patient care time by more than ten percent, expand virtual appointments, reduce duplicate paper-digital documentation by 75 percent, and to support staff so that 90 percent achieve digital competency by 2028. A focus will be on improving digital clinical system interfaces with the trust’s other existing digital systems, it shares, setting out the target for all hospital-based services using the digital clinical system to support care delivery by 2028. Another major area of work will be virtual care, with virtual consultation options to be introduced across all supported care homes, and the proportion of speech and language therapy appointments delivered virtually to be increased to 40 percent, by December 2028.
The NHS Transformation Directorate has shared details of the initial pilot of an AI triage tool integrated in the NHS App. The tool, trialled at Wealden Ridge Medical Partnership in Sussex, is said to have reduced phone queue volumes by 29 percent, according to the directorate. It will be rolled out over the next 12 months to more than 200,000 patients in London, before being made available to all NHS App users nationwide by April 2028. It poses questions to patients on their health issues via the NHS App, adapting follow-up questions or asking for further information and photos depending on the response. A summary is then created of patient issues and symptoms, offering assistance for clinicians with diagnosis and prioritisation. Once reviewed by a clinician, patients are contacted by phone or SMS with next steps, it adds.
A series of plans and commitments have been set out across digital delivery, digitally-enabled primary care, and digital triage by the board of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. A delivery plan for 2026/27 promises “better use of digital and virtual tools”, a focus on digital innovation and infrastructure, and a digital-first approach to support the delivery of care closer to home. Digital access will become simpler and more joined-up, GGC states, with digital contact routes, digital records, voice tech, and Copilot-enabled productivity hoped to support improved access for patients and better information availability for staff. A sustainable blueprint is to be developed focused on delivering services in “the most optimum way”, taking a digital/virtual-first approach with an ambition of reducing costs by around five percent.
