More than 500,000 NHS clinicians and support staff are to be given access to Microsoft 365 Copilot, NHS England has announced.
The announcement by NHS England follows what it described as the largest AI trial of its kind globally in healthcare when it provided more than 30,000 NHS workers across 90 NHS organisations with access to Microsoft 365 Copilot.
NHS England said it believed that the roll-out could free up an average of 2 days every month from admin duties. The AI personal assistant will be used to help clinicians draft documents and analyse data more efficiently. The trial found that AI-powered administrative support could save an average of 43 minutes per staff member per day or more, equating to 5 weeks of time per person annually.
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.
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.
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”.
