Practice managers were able to save up to 12 hours a month when using AI notetaking tools for meetings and other admin tasks, a pilot scheme found.
Surgeries belonging to non-profit GP federation One Care that covers Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) took part in the largest general practice pilot of ambient voice technology – the technical term for AI transcribing tools – in England.
Morgan Daly, deputy digital director at One Care told the Management in Practice conference in Birmingham last week that it resulted in benefits they hadn’t predicted.
A total of 55 practices participated in the 15-month pilot that began in April 2025 and involved clinical and non-clinical staff using the AI scribe tool, Heidi.
Mr Daly said: ‘We realised we had to change something for practices 18 months ago as patient demand increased and so did costs. Using AI scribe tech is also the first step towards digital transformation, which the 10-year health plan focuses on.’
He added: ‘Because we were working at scale we were able to negotiate a good deal on price with Heidi but also persuaded the ICB to fund the project. This boosted interest and we found that uptake of AI scribing tools in general practice in BNSGG was 76% compared with a national uptake rate in general practice of 40%.’
The pilot saw 2.8 million minutes transcribed and AI being used for more than 30,000 consultations. Evaluation showed that as a result of its use:
- Practice managers saved up to 12 hours per month on meeting and appraisal administration.
- In some practices, referral letters are now drafted in 30 seconds, down from 15 minutes.
- 71% of respondents reported it had a positive impact on patient interaction during a consultation. This is compared with 29% reported there was no impact.
- It led to an average of saving on documentation time of 40 seconds for single-problem consultations and 58 seconds for multi-problem consultations.
Mr Daly said: ‘Using AI reduced the cognitive load and pressure for GPs and non-clinical staff.
‘Practice managers were using it for administrative tasks such as writing up notes from staff appraisals. This is work that takes up valuable time from a really skilled member of staff so is a good example of how tech can help.’
One Care put peer support in place, meeting with practices regularly, Mr Daly said, as well as sharing learning and having conversations on clinical safety and hazard management.
‘This meant the tools were being used safely and effectively. Practices also now have confidence in the tech.’
