NHS App to Introduce AI Triage to Guide Patients to the Right Care Faster Across England
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NHS England is also expanding the use of AI-powered clinical documentation tools, recording conversations between patients and healthcare professionals to generate real-time transcriptions and clinical summaries.
The NHS has announced that it has begun rolling out an AI-powered triage tool within the NHS app to help patients access the most appropriate healthcare service more quickly.
The new feature has been designed to assess patients through a series of questions before directing them to services such as a GP appointment, community care, a pharmacy, accident and emergency (A&E), or self-care guidance, depending on their needs.
According to NHS England, the AI triage tool will initially reach more than 200,000 patients over the next 12 months before becoming available to all NHS app users across England by April 2028.
By asking patients a structured set of questions, the system will recommend the most suitable care pathway and, where appropriate, enable appointment booking directly through the app.
One of the primary objectives is to reduce the rush of patients contacting GP practices by phone, particularly during the busy morning period when appointment lines typically open.
NHS England believes directing patients digitally to the right service could improve access to care while easing administrative pressure on primary care teams.
The technology has already been tested at Wealden Ridge Medical Partnership in Sussex, where the pilot resulted in a 29% reduction in the number of patients waiting in telephone queues for appointments.
Sir Jim Mackey, Chief Executive of NHS England, said the tool would "help get patients to the best service for their needs first time... so that clinicians can make sure those most in need of a GP appointment can get one sooner".
Alongside the AI triage rollout, NHS England is expanding the use of AI-powered clinical documentation tools.
These systems will record conversations between patients and healthcare professionals to generate real-time transcriptions and clinical summaries, reducing administrative workloads.
The programme will initially cover outpatient appointments at St George's, Epsom and St Helier, Croydon, and Kingston and Richmond NHS trusts in and around London.
Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust are also extending their AI note-taking initiatives.
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