AI agents could save NHS £75 million & free up appointments
TL;DR: OneAdvanced’s report demonstrates that AI agents in GP practices could save the NHS £75 million annually and provide up to 150,000 additional GP appointments each week. Clinical Coding and Clinical Summarisation Agents, piloted in 143 practices, achieved 95% user satisfaction by automating document management and clinical record processing, freeing clinical staff for patient-facing activities.
Addressing NHS resource strain through automation
A new report from OneAdvanced outlines how adopting Artificial Intelligence agents in GP practices could deliver substantial cost savings and capacity improvements to the NHS. The study focuses on two AI agents developed by OneAdvanced—the Clinical Coding Agent and the Clinical Summarisation Agent—which automate the management and processing of incoming clinical documents in primary care settings.
This analysis arrives at a time when NHS resources are under considerable strain, with increasing demand for GP services and a declining number of practices. Administrative tasks, particularly paperwork, are acknowledged as a significant component of NHS workload, often consuming several hours of a GP’s day. OneAdvanced’s report suggests that automation technology can help alleviate these pressures and retrieve time for patient-facing activities.
Pilot deployment across 143 GP practices
The Clinical Coding Agent and Clinical Summarisation Agent have been piloted in a sample of 143 GP practices. According to the report, 95% of users within these practices observed improved workflows and significant time savings during the early adoption phase.
The Clinical Coding Agent works by proposing accurate SNOMED codes to enhance the quality of patient records, whilst the Clinical Summarisation Agent extracts crucial information, offering concise correspondence summaries for staff review. Both operate on OneAdvanced’s established GP Document Workflow software, previously known as Docman, which is already utilised by over 2,500 GP practices in the UK.
150,000 additional GP consultations weekly
The findings emphasise the significant time consumed by document management in GP practices and highlight automation’s potential to free up clinical staff for patient care. The deployment of the AI agents is projected to release the equivalent of 150,000 additional GP consultations each week across England.
“By embedding AI Agents into the system practices already rely on and trust, we’re giving GPs the tools to work smarter, not harder—delivering measurable benefits to both the NHS and patients,” said Ric Thompson, Senior Vice President of Health & Care at OneAdvanced, who underscored the anticipated productivity improvements without imposing additional burdens on GPs.
Clinical perspective on administrative burden
Dr Paul Wright, Medical Director and Chief Clinical Information Officer at OneAdvanced as well as a practising GP, provided insights from a clinical perspective:
“As a GP, I know first-hand the strain practices are under with rising demand and growing admin. These Agents were built with clinicians to ensure they genuinely ease workload. The ability to code and summarise correspondence automatically means we can spend more time with patients, and less time on paperwork.”
This clinician involvement in development addresses a critical factor in healthcare technology adoption: ensuring solutions genuinely ease workflow rather than introducing new complexity or friction.
£75 million annual savings calculation
The full report from OneAdvanced provides details on the projected £75 million in annual savings. The calculations are based on time savings from administrative automation and the redeployment of this time into additional appointments. The findings are expected to contribute to ongoing discussions about the future of administrative processes and the role of technology in British healthcare.
The report indicates that, beyond financial and capacity returns, automating routine administrative tasks can improve the accuracy and consistency of clinical records, supporting better continuity of care for patients.
Alignment with NHS 10-year transformation initiative
OneAdvanced claims its AI-driven approach is consistent with the NHS’s 10-year transformation initiative, which aims to improve outcomes and operational efficiency through technological advancement. The company reported that its software now supports more than 40 million patients yearly, working with over 4,000 GP practices and 160 NHS Trusts.
This existing deployment footprint provides a foundation for scaling the AI agents without requiring practices to adopt entirely new systems—a significant advantage given the resistance to change often observed in healthcare settings under operational pressure.
Clinical accuracy and record quality improvements
Beyond capacity and cost benefits, the report highlights improvements in clinical record quality. Automated SNOMED coding through the Clinical Coding Agent enhances consistency across patient records, potentially improving data quality for population health analysis and supporting better clinical decision-making through more complete and accurate documentation.
The Clinical Summarisation Agent addresses the challenge of processing incoming correspondence from secondary care and other sources. By extracting key information and presenting concise summaries, the agent reduces the cognitive load on clinicians reviewing documents whilst ensuring critical information is captured in patient records.
Collaborative development approach
OneAdvanced stated that its team of clinicians and technologists collaborated closely to develop the agents, aiming to address challenges identified by both frontline doctors and administrative staff. This co-design approach appears central to achieving the 95% user satisfaction rate observed in pilot deployments.
The development process involved practising GPs and practice staff in identifying workflow pain points, designing agent behaviours, and iterating based on real-world feedback. This methodology contrasts with technology-led implementations that often struggle with adoption due to misalignment with clinical workflows.
Implications for NHS capacity crisis
With the NHS facing a well-documented capacity crisis—characterised by difficulties accessing GP appointments, increasing waiting times, and workforce shortages—the potential to free up 150,000 additional consultations weekly represents a substantial capacity injection without requiring additional staff recruitment.
The £75 million annual savings could be redirected to other areas of NHS provision or used to support further technology investments that improve efficiency. The report positions AI agents not as replacements for clinical staff but as tools enabling staff to work at the top of their licence by eliminating routine administrative tasks.
The findings suggest that healthcare AI adoption may accelerate most rapidly in areas where administrative burden is highest and where automation can demonstrably free clinical time for patient care—a value proposition that addresses both operational efficiency and clinician satisfaction.
Source: IT Brief UK Original Article: AI agents could save NHS GBP £75 million & free up appointments Published: 6 November 2025