tech
NHS England Taps Microsoft 365 Copilot to Cut Admin Burden
Microsoft 365 Copilot is rolling out to 505,000 NHS England staff to streamline admin, boost capacity across trusts and return more time to patient care
TL;DR
- Microsoft 365 Copilot is being rolled out to 505,000 NHS England staff.
- The AI tool aims to reduce administrative burdens and increase time for patient care.
- Planned uses include clinical administration, ward clerk support, medical secretarial tasks, core services (HR, finance), and management functions.
- Copilot Studio will allow for the creation of custom agents to automate specific workflows.
- A 12-month onboarding plan targets rapid scale-up, with a training program to ensure effective adoption.
- A previous trial indicated that AI administrative support saved an average of 43 minutes per staff member per day.
- Full rollout could save up to 400,000 staff hours per month, translating to millions of hours and hundreds of millions of pounds annually.
- The initiative is expected to enhance NHS productivity and accelerate digital transformation.