We’re good at pilots in the NHS. Getting a project off the ground, showing what’s possible, that part comes naturally. The harder work is taking that early success and making it part of everyday, safe, sustainable practice.

Scaling ambient voice technology across trusts has shown me that technology and early enthusiasm alone aren’t enough. What really matters are a few essentials:

• Shared leadership ownership – clinical advocacy and operational sponsorship, with a clear SRO
• Programme-level governance – clear criteria for moving from pilot to scale, avoiding the “extended pilot” trap
• Structured clinical engagement – beyond early adopters, with specialty-level kick-offs and co-design
• Operational alignment – workflows, admin systems, IG involved early, not retrofitted later
• Evidence-led decisions – scale based on data, outcomes, and safety, not just enthusiasm

These points came up again in our scaling beyond pilots webinar, where NHS clinical and operational leaders shared practical lessons on taking innovation beyond pilots.

Pilots show what’s possible. Getting the basics right makes it stick.

👉 Watch the webinar here