Preparing the NHS for the AI era: Why smarter Triage and navigation mean better health care (18 March 2025)

Summary

NHS waiting lists are growing, staff are overburdened and patients are often stuck in the wrong queues. But there is a chance to change this by improving outdated patient navigation systems. 

Every year, 29 million GP appointments could be freed up if patients were directed to the right care from the start. This report from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change explores how an AI Navigation Assistant could transform the NHS by guiding people to the right care, the first time, alleviating pressure on NHS staff and improving patient outcomes.

Companies are already using AI to streamline patient pathways. If the government doesn’t take this opportunity, outdated systems will continue to fail patients.