Ambient AI to be adopted for NHS outpatient services in Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust is to become one of the earliest NHS organisations to adopt ambient AI for outpatient consultations, with the implementation of the technology scheduled for summer 2026.

The trust will be the first to adopt the CareFlow Ambient AI Outpatient Consultations module, developed by healthcare technology systems and services provider System C. The technology works by capturing and transcribing conversations between clinicians and patients, with the content of the transcript then being used to automatically generate clinic letters and complete outcome forms.

The module will be integrated into the patient’s electronic record, and be used to drive billing and subsequent action.

System C states that the technology is expected to reduce the cognitive and administrative load on staff, save clinicians time, speed up the production of clinic letters, increase coding accuracy, and act as a “stronger protection against revenue loss”.

Duncan Dewhurst, Chief Digital and Transformation Officer at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, said that the technology “represents a significant step forward for our outpatient services”.

He said: “We expect this technology to reduce administrative pressure on our clinicians, enabling clearer and faster communication with patients after their appointments.

“This solution will help us deliver safer, more efficient care while giving our teams more time to focus on what matters most – our patients.”

This announcement follows a 2025 pilot in which the Buckinghamshire trust trialled a different ambient AI tool, CLEARnotes, in its Rheumatology and Community Paediatrics departments. 

It comes amid a wider adoption of ambient AI technology across a number of hospital trusts, including Great Ormond Street Hospital, Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust, and a South West London group of hospital trusts, alongside others.