NHS to use AI on its app to direct patients to appropriate services

The NHS will begin using AI on its app to direct patients to the appropriate services, it has been announced.

The tool will be used to triage patients and to ascertain if they should be allocated a GP appointment. Some may be advised to attend a pharmacy or their local A&E department instead, depending on the severity of their condition.

The update is expected to reach 200,000 patients over the next year and be available to all users by April 2028.

The health secretary, James Murray, said he was “certain” that new technological advances would “get patients to the right care faster, free our brilliant clinicians from mountains of paperwork, and help drive down waiting times”.

However, health leaders said there was a need for a broader long-term strategy about the use of AI across the NHS. They expressed concerns that there was limited evidence about the productivity improvements it could offer. They also said they were worried that patient privacy could be compromised, and that those who were less confident using technology could be disadvantaged.

Lynn Woolsey, chief nursing officer at the Royal College of Nursing, said the app rollout could be “an important step in upgrading technology in the NHS” but added: “There are also warnings to heed, with growing concerns about overstated, overly optimistic assessments of the productivity benefits from AI.

“We cannot have situations where it increases bureaucracy through the need to correct flawed or inaccurate work.

“Patients must be reassured that any new systems handling their information, such as ambient voice technology, are accurate and properly protect confidentiality.”

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Source: The Guardian, 4 July 2026