‘Patients are ready for this’: New study reveals 90% of NHS staff use AI at work — and most patients are happy with it

• Report claims 90% of NHS staff are using AI to assist with their work
• Heidi survey points to high AI use across healthcare
• AI looks to reduce the burden on healthcare professionals

NHS staff are increasingly using AI tools to improve workflows and handle admin tasks, and claim that patients are positive about the development, new research has claimed.

A survey of 1,000 healthcare professionals working in the NHS by Heidi found 90% of respondents revealing they are using AI in clinical work, with healthcare professionals driving the change, with nearly two-thirds (65%) adopting AI to assist in their workflow.

Rising administrative burdens in recent years may have contributed to the use of AI to assist in tasks, although it seems some AI use is happening regardless of official policies.

AI helps with the admin

Of those surveyed, 94% have increased their AI use at work in the past year, or kept it the same. Among hospital doctors, pharmacists, and mental health professionals, however, the figure is 96%.

The results of the survey clearly demonstrate a wide take-up of AI tools, no doubt driven by an increase of administrative tasks (experienced by 80% of respondents) which includes increased demand for documentation, particularly among nurses (61%), pharmacists (63%) any by GPs dealing with referrals and letters (52%).

While it is being used for drafting referrals and notes, AI is also being used to manage patient follow-ups (66%), and there is a belief that the technology is prolonging careers, by making the workload more manageable.

Dr Hannah Allen, Chief Medical Officer and GP at Heidi, said: “These findings reflect what we hear every day from patients and clinicians. Patients are ready for this, and healthcare professionals have already made AI part of how they manage a workload that has grown well beyond what most would call sustainable.”

Policies and oversight

Use of computers and patient data within the NHS has been closely monitored for years, and in recent years the challenges of AI have been highlighted, with various trusts implementing policies to handle generative AI use. Among these are the NHS AI Lab Code of Conduct, NHS England’s Blueprint for AI in Health and Social Care, and the Information Governance (IG) Frameworks for handling patient data and other sensitive information.

So, the 35% expressing concern over patient privacy should be able to consult their local policies and procedures to ensure that their work doesn’t infringe what has been put in place by the organization.

The march of AI across healthcare seems to be almost complete, and regardless of which tools are used, those governance policies should ensure admin is managed, data is kept private, and patient care continues to be the central focus.