Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has highlighted a targeted EPR tender publication in September, ahead of business case approval in 2027, as well progress on ambient voice pilots and its patient portal programme.
The partnership is running two pilots of AVT tools, with Heidi and Anatham, set to run to October 2026, the partnership shares, with an evaluation due to commence in November 2026. Initial feedback from participating clinicians is said to be positive, with reductions achieved in the amount of time spent on clinical administration.
“The pilot deliberately selected two services where implementation challenges were anticipated,” LYPFT explains. “One service was chosen because the patient population was considered more likely to have concerns regarding the use of AI-supported technology, particularly around confidentiality and trust. A second service was selected because workforce pressures and operational demands were expected to create barriers to adoption of new technology. This approach has enabled the trust to develop and refine different implementation methodologies tailored to specific service and population needs, generating valuable learning for future deployments.”
The tech is now to continue to be rolled out in phases to additional services, including ALPS, LADS, and ADHD. LYPFT notes its intention to publish its implementation approach, along with lessons learned, and factors driving successful adoption in different clinical settings.
The partnership has held future EPR stakeholder sessions with outcomes to inform its EPR specification, the board indicates, with tender publication expected around September or October 2026. Full tender evaluation is then scheduled for November to December, before hopes for full business case approval in January 2027.
“The most significant challenge remains identification of capital funding to support EPR procurement and implementation,” LYPFT says. “While an application to the national Frontline Productivity Fund was deemed outside the scope of that programme, NHS England colleagues have identified alternative funding routes which are currently being explored.”
Progress is also noted on the NHS App, with the board reporting that work is underway on the development of the patient portal, with the next steps to identify the best approaches to appointment management and service user communication. Standardised letters, forms, and questionnaires will be established by November 2026, and the trust aims to onboard to the MH Wayfinder Programme at the beginning of 2027.
Elsewhere, the board records “significant progress” on the trust wider digital transformation portfolio, with a key areas of focus being the implementation of electronic prescribing and medicines administration. A draft EPMA vision and strategy has been agreed and initial work has been done to explore the potential for integration with CONNECT electronic prescribing services, it adds.
Wider trend: AVT
Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust started its roll out of Lyrebird Health ambient voice technology last week, initially in the emergency department, gastroenterology and gynaecology outpatients. The trust has been working in partnership with other South West London trusts and the SWL Acute Provider Collaborative to introduce AVT, the board noted earlier this year. A second phase of the roll out is also planned, to include more outpatient specialties and community services, followed by other clinical areas, Kingston and Richmond shares. Deployment is being coordinated with partner organisations across the region to promote consistency in approach.
In a recent meeting, the board of South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust highlighted digital in supporting mental health pathways, including the use of ambient voice technology in giving back time to care, and virtual reality for children and young people’s emotional wellbeing. Ambient voice technology will be piloted for admin work, it shares, and automated information sharing will let schools check in and consider support options for children from their setting. A pilot of extended reality as an intervention for young people presenting with anxiety or emotion-related school avoidance is continuing, and the trust is now focusing on improvements following the digitisation of neurodevelopmental screening processes.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has published guidance to clarify how the medical devices regulations apply to ambient voice technology in health and care. MHRA notes that some AVT solutions qualify as a medical device and confirms some “AVT products that are intended solely for transcription, summarising of clinical conversations, drafting letters, or suggesting clinical codes for a clinician to review are not regulated as medical devices under the current framework”. The body goes on to recommend that “users of such AVT products should carefully consider what information and practices are needed to ensure safe deployment”.
