Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of artificial intelligence systems to reduce administrative burdens in NHS hospitals.

The Government recognises the significant potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce administrative burdens across National Health Service hospitals and support frontline staff.

AI technologies, including tools that automate clinical documentation such as the summarisation and transcription of patient consultations, are already demonstrating how routine administrative tasks can be streamlined, reducing time spent on paperwork. Early NHS pilots indicate that these tools can significantly cut documentation time and increase patient-facing time. For example, one small London-based study reported a reduction in paperwork of approximately 50%.

In addition, the rollout of Microsoft Copilot across parts of the NHS is supporting staff to automate routine administrative tasks such as drafting documents, summarising information, and managing correspondence, helping to reduce time spent on manual processes and improve productivity.