More than half a million NHS staff are being given access to new artificial intelligence (AI) tools that could free up an average of 2 days every month from admin duties, freeing up more time for the duties that matter most for patients and staff.

NHS England announced today that it is significantly accelerating AI adoption across healthcare services by providing 505,000 clinicians and support staff with access to Microsoft 365 Copilot.

The AI personal assistant helps clinicians to draft documents and analyse data more efficiently to focus more time on patient care.

The agreement follows the largest AI trial of its kind globally in healthcare, which provided more than 30,000 NHS workers across 90 NHS organisations with access to Microsoft 365 Copilot.

It found that AI-powered administrative support could save an average of 43 minutes per staff member per day or more, which equates to 5 weeks of time per person annually.

Results from the trial showed that a full rollout of Microsoft 365 Copilot could save millions of hours of staff time per month.

Rob Thompson, Chief Digital, Data and Technology Officer at NHS England said: “The NHS wants to embrace cutting-edge technology and this Microsoft partnership will mean staff can be freed from admin so they can focus more of their time on what matters most – improving care for patients.

“Innovations like this will help drive NHS productivity so patients can get the treatment they need sooner and there is better value for taxpayers.

“The potential to save NHS staff around 2 days of admin time every month could be a gamechanger for patients.

“As part of our 10 Year Health Plan, we’re making sure every pound is spent on cutting waiting times and boosting care”.

Health Innovation and Safety Minister Preet Kaur Gill said: “Technology should support our NHS staff, not slow them down.

“Every day, doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals spend valuable time on administrative tasks that take them away from patients. By rolling out Microsoft Copilot across the NHS, we can reduce that burden, free up clinicians’ time and help staff focus on what they do best caring for patients.

“This government is putting innovation to work for patients: helping staff work more efficiently, improving productivity and supporting a modern NHS that delivers better care, faster access to treatment and better value for taxpayers”.

Darren Hardman, CEO, Microsoft UK and Ireland said: “By rolling out Microsoft 365 Copilot at scale, NHS teams can cut through everyday admin and spend more time where it matters most.

“Bringing AI safely into the flow of healthcare will help ease pressures, improve productivity and support better decision-making across the health service.

“We’re proud to work with NHS England to help tackle some of its biggest challenges and accelerate digital transformation for the benefit of staff and patients alike”.

Copilot helps users create, analyse and get work done faster.

NHS England anticipates that Copilot will be harnessed in multiple ways across all aspects of the healthcare service, including:

• clinical administration: assisting clinicians in drafting letters and registrar training
• ward clerks: helping with patient discharge processes, service data analysis, rota building and bed management
• medical secretaries: helping with the drafting of patient letters, meeting minutes and creating templates for consistency
• core services: assisting human resources, finance and procurement functions
• management: helping to draft board papers, briefings, organisational analysis

Each NHS trust will receive a central allocation of licences based on organisational headcount, typically starting at around 2,000 Copilot Microsoft 365 licences.

Rollout to more than 500,000 staff across the NHS is expected by October 2026.