Image source: Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) is piloting the use of a new AI transcript tool for the health service.
Named CLEARnotes, it operates by listening to doctor-patient conversations during a consultation and automatically generating a structured discussion summary, significantly reducing paperwork for clinicians.
It has recently been used at New Cross Hospital, initially focusing on anaesthetic assessments, and the trust is hoping to expand its use to support other teams.
Dr Manpreet Singh, consultant anaesthetist and perioperative medicine lead, said: "I feel CLEARnotes can bring the benefits of reducing admin burden and allow more clinical time to be spent with patients.
“The time spared can be used in anaesthetic note reviews in clinic to avoid last minute postponements, which will improve theatre productivity."
Game changer
Dr John Jeans, consultant anaesthetist and co-founder of the National CLEAR Programme, which supports NHS innovation and has developed the tool, said: "This is a game changer for the NHS. Nurses and doctors enter the profession to care for patients, not to be buried under endless paperwork.
“With this AI tool, we’re giving them back precious time to focus on the people in front of them. Patients feel heard, clinicians feel empowered, and hospitals become more productive—it’s a win for everyone."
"What makes this even more exciting is that the tool has been co-designed with NHS clinicians. This ground-up approach ensures the technology is tailored for our healthcare system, the workforce and our patients.”
