From AI receptionists to patient recovery: agentic AI’s emerging role in health and care (30 September 2026)

Summary

Organisations across health and care are using and experimenting with AI to solve problems in clinical and non-clinical settings. This includes redesigning workflows, reducing pressure on staff and existing NHS services, and improving patient experience. Some organisations are also using larger-scale AI technologies from the likes of Microsoft and Anthropic to develop agentic AI solutions for more complex problems.

Agentic AI refers to systems that can carry out tasks or workflows with a degree of autonomy while operating within defined rules and human oversight.

The King's Fund brought health and care leaders together to reflect on the opportunities, risks and practical realities of adopting agentic AI across services.