UK doctors' surgeries are deploying AI platforms including iatroX for clinical guidance and InTouchNow.ai for phone answering systems designed to modernise patient access and reduce administrative burden Cryptopolitan. Almost three in 10 GPs are using AI tools such as ChatGPT in consultations with patients, even though it could lead to them making mistakes and being sued, according to Nuffield Trust research Thriveholdings, as the chronically underfunded NHS accelerates AI adoption to reduce operating costs while regulatory frameworks lag behind deployment velocity.

An evaluation in 2025 found a majority of surveyed users stating iatroX was useful (approximately 86%) or reliable (approximately 79%), with the platform helping GPs retrieve evidence-based clinical guidance and identify causes of uncommon symptoms when practitioners lack specialist knowledge Cryptopolitan. InTouchNow.ai uses voice-based AI to handle calls, schedule appointments, and assess patient needs simultaneously, channelling callers with appointment requests, general advice, prescription requests, and clinical test results Cryptopolitan.

Government guidance published in April 2025 encourages ambient voice technology tools using speech recognition and generative AI to convert spoken words into structured medical notes across hospitals and GP surgeries, with interim trial data involving over 7,000 patients showing dramatically reduced admin time OpenAI.

In the UK, many GP surgeries' phone lines are tied up in mornings as patients try to contact medical practitioners for appointments, with more acute needs delayed among routine enquiries, meaning high-priority callers can be left waiting for long periods Cryptopolitan. The much underfunded National Health Service has been quick to deploy AI-powered software to reduce operating costs, often targeting reduction of staff administration costs to funnel funds into patient care Cryptopolitan.

Clinicians in hospitals and GP surgeries are forced to spend much of their consultations recording information into computers instead of focusing on patients, and once patients leave, they're often required to summarize information in documents like referral letters OpenAI. GP surgeries delivered 31.4 million appointments last month a 6.1% increase on the previous year and waiting lists have fallen by 219,000 patients OpenAI. The rapid adoption is happening alongside a "wild west" lack of regulation leaving GPs unaware which tools are safe to use Thriveholdings.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting stated that AI is the catalyst that will revolutionise healthcare and drive efficiencies across the NHS, emphasizing that the government made the difficult but necessary decision at the Budget to put a record £26 billion into NHS and social care, including cash to roll out more pioneering tech OpenAI.

Dr Maaike Kusters, paediatric immunology consultant at Great Ormond Street Hospital, noted that using the AI tool during the trial meant she could sit closer to patients face-to-face and really focus on what they were sharing without compromising on documentation quality Artificial Intelligence News. Dr Andrew Noble from East Hull's Jean Bishop Integrated Care Centre stated that positive feedback from both staff and patients shows just how valuable the project has been Artificial Intelligence News.

InTouchNow.ai founder Daniel Park draws on 30+ years of experience in medical call centres, with the system supporting over 200 languages and different dialects Cryptopolitan.

Benefits for practices include reducing numbers of missed calls, decreased workload for reception staff, and improved patient access to medical services, with the entirely software-based system operating outside regular hours to reduce need for staff overtime at times of peak demand Cryptopolitan. The system integrates with common GP software like Surgery Connect, AWS, and Anima, automating tasks and maintaining patient data security while giving practices full control Cryptopolitan.

Care must be taken to ensure algorithms don't exacerbate inequalities or introduce new discrimination, with examples including melanoma detection algorithms trained on publicly available images more prevalent in white skin, making them more accurate for white patients than Black patients H2S Media. The Nuffield Trust concluded that rapid adoption alongside lack of regulation is leaving GPs unaware which tools are safe to use Thriveholdings.

It is predicted in the NHS AI Lab roadmap that general practice will be one of the most affected workforce groups in the NHS H2S Media. Staff may be reluctant to adopt AI technologies if they feel threatened, if they are worried about the risks, or if they do not see enough evidence of effectiveness, with NHS and GP organisations working to regulate and design standards that support developers in ensuring minimum standards that enable greater confidence H2S Media. Decision-makers should monitor whether rapid deployment without comprehensive regulatory frameworks produces patient safety incidents that could trigger restrictive oversight, potentially stifling beneficial innovation while addressing legitimate risk management concerns across the NHS.

Source & Date

Source: Artificial Intelligence News, UK Government (GOV.UK), The Guardian, Nuffield Trust, NHS England, Computing UK
Date: December 8, 2025 (Article); April 26, 2025 (Government Guidance)