Harnessing AI to Deliver the NHS’s New 10-Year Plan
As an NHS anaesthetist, I see every day the commitment of our healthcare teams – and the extraordinary pressures they are under. The NHS’s forthcoming 10-year plan will no doubt recognise the urgent need to transform the way we work, not only to meet growing demand but to secure a sustainable future for the service we all cherish.
Central to the government’s vision is an ambition to boost NHS productivity by 2% annually. Achieving this is not simply a matter of working harder; it demands working smarter – rethinking how we deliver care, how we use data and how we support our staff.
Technology, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), will play a crucial role here. Digital tools are already changing how we diagnose diseases, monitor patients and deliver treatment. But perhaps equally important is the quieter revolution: how technology is reducing the administrative burden on clinicians, freeing up more time for patient care and helping us work more efficiently across the system.
One particularly exciting example of this is ambient technology. Our very own CLEARnotes, a technology now in use in perioperative settings at NHS trusts across England, streamlines clinical documentation, enabling clinical teams to complete high-quality, compliant notes much faster than traditional methods. Early results are impressive: productivity gains of 14% have been recorded at one site – a significant leap well above the 2% target the government has set.
That 14% isn’t just a number. It translates into real, tangible improvements:
- Reduced administrative burden: Clinicians spend less time battling with paperwork and more time with their patients.
- Freed-up clinical time: More operations and procedures can be scheduled, easing waiting lists and improving patient outcomes.
- Better patient experience and staff wellbeing: By easing workload pressures, CLEARnotes helps to reduce clinician burnout and supports more attentive, patient-centred care.
AI tools like CLEARnotes not only automate time-consuming tasks but enhance clinical safety and record-keeping. They ensure that critical information is captured consistently, reducing errors and variation. They also generate valuable structured data that can drive further service improvements.
Importantly, CLEARnotes is strongly aligned to NHS England’s 2025 AI-Enabled Ambient Scribing Guidance—prioritising clinician oversight, patient data security, and transparent, auditable AI that supports safer, more efficient documentation without compromising care standards. This compliance-first approach reflects our commitment to responsible AI, ensuring that innovation is delivered with integrity, trust, and clinical leadership at its core.
Of course, technology is not a silver bullet. Investment in infrastructure, proper staff training, and a culture that embraces innovation will all be essential if we are to realise the full potential of digital solutions. Critically, we must ensure that these tools are designed with – not for – clinicians, supporting professional judgment rather than replacing it.
As we move forward with the NHS 10-year plan, the integration of technologies like CLEARnotes offers a clear blueprint: innovation that eases pressures, supports staff, improves patient care, and drives meaningful productivity gains.
The future of the NHS will be built not just in operating theatres or on wards, but in the smart, thoughtful deployment of technology that enables our teams to do what they do best: care for patients. I, for one, am excited by what lies ahead.
Stay connected
We’ll keep you in the loop on the latest news and product updates.
Stay connected footer form
Data security and privacy
