Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust has reduced documentation time and accelerated patient letters following the introduction of Heidi’s AI medical scribe
Clinical documentation is essential, but the time it requires can reduce the capacity available for patient care. At Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, the introduction of Heidi’s AI medical scribe has shortened documentation times in the emergency department and transformed the turnaround of dermatology letters.
Before Heidi was introduced, clinicians in the emergency department spent between 15 and 20 minutes documenting each patient encounter. In dermatology, a substantial backlog meant that letters took an average of 9.28 days to complete. The delay affected patient communication and could also slow referrals or clinical follow-up.
The results come as NHS organisations across the West Midlands begin adopting ambient voice technology on a much wider scale. Walsall is one of 15 acute and community trusts involved in a regional procurement that also covers all 1,239 GP practices in the Midlands and could make the technology available to more than 70,000 clinicians.
More time for patients
Heidi listens during a consultation and uses artificial intelligence to produce structured medical documentation, including draft notes, clinic letters and discharge summaries. The clinician reviews the output for accuracy before it is added to the patient record or sent to another service.
Its introduction at Walsall allowed doctors to concentrate more fully on their conversations with patients rather than typing throughout the appointment. “Patients feel listened to. They feel the clinician is present. Rather than typing about their care, they’re delivering it. Doctors are actively listening and patients feel heard,” says Dr Mohammed Jamil Aslam, Emergency Department Consultant at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust.
Dr Aslam led the initial three-month pilot, which was subsequently extended. Early use by a small number of teams generated interest elsewhere in the organisation, leading to wider adoption across the hospital.
The BBC reported in July that Dr Aslam was saving around six minutes per consultation. Heidi records a 62 per cent reduction in emergency department documentation time, from between 15 and 20 minutes to approximately five to seven minutes per patient.
With around 300 people attending the department each day, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust estimates that the time saved could release nearly 11,000 hours of clinical capacity each year in the emergency department alone. The additional capacity can help clinicians focus more closely on patients and, where circumstances allow, assess and treat more people.
With around 300 people attending the department each day, the Trust estimates that the reduction could release nearly 11,000 hours of clinical capacity each year in the emergency department alone. The additional time can be used to focus more closely on patients and, where capacity allows, support the assessment and treatment of more people.
The technology operates in 110 languages, according to the BBC report. This capability may be particularly valuable in settings serving diverse populations, although clinicians must continue to check the accuracy and clinical meaning of every record it produces.
Faster clinical communication
The effect in dermatology was equally marked. Average letter turnaround fell from 9.28 days to 18 minutes, representing a reported reduction of 99.86 per cent. The improvement was achieved without additional administrative support, allowing letters that had previously waited several days to be completed and sent on the same day.
Faster letters can help information move more quickly between hospital teams, GPs and other services. They may also reduce the period in which patients are waiting to receive details of their consultation or the next steps in their care.
The Dermatology Department’s adoption of the system was supported by Well Wishers, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust’s charity, which funded 11 microphones for clinicians to use during consultations. “This new technology has been fantastic,” says Dr James Halpern, Consultant Dermatologist at the Trust. “It helps us produce letters more quickly, with richer information. Ultimately, it improves outcomes and experiences for our patients.”
According to Heidi, every clinician surveyed at the Trust said they wanted to continue using the system.
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