AI Medical Scribes
We use AI medical scribes
To help our clinicians spend more time focusing on you, we use secure NHS-approved AI medical scribe technology during some consultations.
Our clinicians may use one of the following systems:
- Accurx Scribe
- Tortus (via Surgery Connect)
- Heidi
These tools help create a draft of the clinical notes from your consultation, reducing the amount of time clinicians spend typing and allowing them to give you more of their attention during your appointment.
What is an AI medical scribe?
An AI medical scribe listens to the conversation during your consultation and produces a draft summary of the discussion. It does not make decisions about your care, diagnosis or treatment. Your clinician remains fully responsible for your consultation and your medical record. Every note is reviewed, edited where necessary, and approved by your clinician before it is saved.
How does this benefit patients?
Using AI medical scribes can help to:
- Allow clinicians to maintain better eye contact and engage more naturally during your consultation.
- Reduce the time spent typing during appointments.
- Improve the quality and completeness of clinical documentation.
- Reduce administrative workload, giving clinicians more time for patient care.
Is my information secure?
Yes. Protecting your confidentiality is extremely important to us.
The AI scribe systems we use have been assessed for use within the NHS and comply with UK data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). They use secure, encrypted systems to process consultation information.
Only information required to produce the clinical note is processed. Your clinician reviews the generated note before it becomes part of your medical record.
Will my consultation be recorded?
The AI scribe temporarily processes the audio from your consultation in order to create a draft clinical note. The handling of audio depends on the scribe platform being used, but clinicians only save the final reviewed clinical record in your medical notes.
Can I choose not to use an AI scribe?
Yes.
The use of an AI medical scribe is entirely optional. If you would prefer that it is not used during your consultation, please tell your clinician at the start of your appointment. Your care will not be affected in any way, and your clinician will document your consultation using their usual methods.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the AI replace my doctor or nurse?
No. The AI is simply a documentation tool. It cannot diagnose conditions, recommend treatments or make clinical decisions. Your clinician remains responsible for every aspect of your care.
Can the AI make mistakes?
Like any technology, AI can occasionally make errors. This is why every note is carefully checked, amended where necessary and approved by your clinician before it is added to your medical record.
Will my data be used to train AI models?
The systems we use are designed for healthcare and operate under strict contractual, security and data protection requirements. Patient information is processed only for the purpose of supporting your consultation and creating clinical documentation, in accordance with NHS and UK data protection requirements.
Questions?
If you have any questions or concerns about our use of AI medical scribes, please speak to a member of our reception team or your clinician before your consultation.
For more information about how we process your personal data, please see our Privacy Notice
