Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is running a pilot to evaluate the use of ambient voice technology (AVT) in emergency departments.

The 12-month pilot, supported by NHS England, was launched in January 2026 to assess how AI scribing tools can reduce documentation for clinicians in urgent-care environments and improve communication between hospital and primary care teams.

Royal Devon integrated AVT into its Epic electronic patient record system in September 2025 and the pilot will form part of a trust-wide evaluation of the rollout.

Professor Adrian Harris, chief medical officer for digital and research at Royal Devon, said: “We’re already seeing the benefits that ambient voice technology can bring in outpatients.

“It could transform emergency and urgent care, by allowing clinicians to focus on what they do best – treating patients – whilst speeding up processes and ensuring that patient notes are accurate.

“Our priority is to test and evaluate how the technology performs in ED to ensure clinical safety and effectiveness.”

Since the AVT was deployed at the trust, it has been used to support more than 2,700 outpatient consultations.

Royal Devon says that it has received positive patient feedback and clinicians have reported improved documentation accuracy and having more time available to see patients.

Once fully rolled out, AVT could support around 15,000 additional outpatient appointments at the Royal Devon each year.

The pilot is being conducted in partnership with the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Sustainable Innovation and the University of Exeter to evaluate its impact and ensure it continues to advance quality of care and meets rigorous assurance standards.

Dr Nick Kennedy, digital innovation and AI lead at the centre, said: “Evaluation is essential to understanding how technologies like ambient voice technology can genuinely improve clinical care.

“By building trusted evidence on what works for both patients and clinicians, we can support the adoption of digital tools that save time, improve communication, and contribute to delivering high‑quality care for even more patients.”

Emergency departments have been selected for the pilot to demonstrate the technology’s potential to free up clinician time, improve patient flow, and enhance safety in urgent settings.

Findings from the evaluation will help shape national policy and inform wider NHS adoption.

Dr Steve Trowell, director of digital transformation for NHSE SW region, said: “There is huge potential for AI scribes, when safely and reliably delivered, to improve the quality and experience of care for both staff and patients.

“We are pleased to be working with Royal Devon to support its implementation and further understand the impact further on healthcare delivery.”

Speaking at the HETT Leadership Summit in February, Alec Price-Forbes, national chief clinical information officer for England, described AI scribing as “an enabler for us truly to reimagine healthcare”.

In January, NHSE published a national self-certified registry for AVT suppliers to show evidence of compliance with standards on clinical safety, technology, and data protection.