TL;DR

NHS England has launched a national registry of 19 approved AI notetaking suppliers following successful trials. Pilot studies showed AI scribes increased direct patient interaction time by 23.5% and enabled A&E departments to see 13.4% more patients per shift.

AI Scribes Go Mainstream in the NHS

NHS organisations across England are being encouraged to adopt AI-powered notetaking tools following the launch of a new national registry from NHS England. The registry lists 19 suppliers of Ambient Voice Technology—systems that transcribe clinician-patient conversations in real time and generate clinical summaries whilst ensuring data protection.

Dr Alec Price-Forbes, NHS England’s national chief clinical information officer, explained the vision: “AI notetaking can transform care by letting clinicians focus on patients rather than screens. This is about shifting from analogue to digital, making the NHS more efficient while improving patient satisfaction.”

Impressive Pilot Results

Pilot studies across nine NHS sites—including hospitals, GP practices and mental health services—delivered compelling evidence:

• 23.5% increase in direct patient interaction time
• 8.2% reduction in appointment lengths
• 13.4% increase in A&E patients seen per shift

A 2025 study led by Great Ormond Street Hospital’s Innovation Unit evaluated over 17,000 patient encounters and concluded that AI scribes could unlock millions in efficiency savings if rolled out nationally.

Implementation Framework

The suppliers listed must meet clinical safety and data security standards. While the technology is not part of a central procurement framework, individual NHS bodies can now select suppliers in line with their own governance processes.

Looking Forward

For UK healthcare technology providers, this represents a significant market opportunity. For businesses in other sectors, the NHS pilot results demonstrate concrete productivity gains from AI transcription tools—a model that could translate to client meetings, sales calls and other documentation-heavy workflows. The 23.5% increase in productive time warrants serious consideration for any business struggling with administrative burden.