How is Microsoft's AI Tech Helping to Cut NHS Admin Times?

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) is implementing AI solutions designed to reduce administrative burdens and allow healthcare professionals to focus more extensively on direct patient interaction.

The Trust has collaborated with Microsoft over an 18-month period to embed AI technologies into everyday clinical workflows.

A key component of this transformation has been the deployment of Microsoft's Dragon Copilot, an ambient voice technology that has been rolled out to hundreds of clinicians with the aim of substantially decreasing documentation time.

Dragon Copilot addresses documentation challenges

The AI tool has also been adopted by other major NHS Trusts, including Guy's and St Thomas' and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

Dragon Copilot specifically addresses a common challenge faced by healthcare staff: the difficulty of maintaining full attention during patient consultations while simultaneously managing the demands of reading, writing and summarising clinical notes.

The technology functions by recording conversations between patients and clinicians, creating accurate clinical summaries and drafting necessary documents and correspondence for clinicians to review and approve.

By automating the note-taking process, the technology allows healthcare professionals to maintain eye contact and engagement with patients throughout consultations.

Early feedback from clinicians using the system indicates that the technology captures consultation details with a high degree of accuracy, reducing the time required for post-consultation documentation review.

“Across the NHS we are all looking at how technology can support our workforce and help services run more effectively,” says Mark Cubbon, CEO of MFT.

“For an organisation of our size and scale, the opportunity is significant.

“Our collaboration with Microsoft is about using AI to improve the way we work – streamlining administrative processes, reducing the potential for human error in some high-volume tasks and reinvesting time and resources to support direct patient care.

“Agentic AI is an important part of this next phase and our early HR pilots suggest these tools could reduce the time spent on some administrative tasks by up to half.

“What matters most is introducing the tools responsibly, with the right safeguards in place and with clinicians and staff closely involved in how they are used.”

This efficiency gain translates directly into additional capacity for patient-facing activities and reduces the administrative work that clinicians traditionally complete outside scheduled consultation hours.

Expansion of AI capabilities

Beyond the Dragon Copilot deployment, MFT has already distributed approximately 1,500 Microsoft 365 Copilot licences across different roles within the organisation.

The Trust's strategy includes a substantial expansion, with plans to add 6,500 new licences each year.

Darren Hardman, CEO, Microsoft UK & Ireland, says: “The impact that MFT has already seen from Microsoft 365 Copilot and Dragon Copilot shows what’s possible when AI is put in the hands of busy healthcare teams.

“This is AI that gives time back.

“By expanding access and establishing an Agent Factory, MFT is scaling those benefits responsibly across the Trust so more colleagues can streamline routine work and focus on what matters most for patients.”

A notable development in this expansion is the establishment of an 'Agent Factory' – a dedicated facility where teams can develop and implement custom AI tools aimed at automating routine operational tasks throughout hospital services and departments.

The Agent Factory concept enables different departments to identify specific workflow challenges and develop tailored AI solutions that address their unique operational needs.

Responsible implementation framework

The Trust has emphasised the importance of introducing these tools responsibly, with appropriate safeguards and close involvement from clinicians and staff in determining how the technologies are utilised.

The Trust's governance framework includes ongoing monitoring of AI tool performance, regular feedback sessions with users and clear protocols for escalating concerns about system accuracy or appropriateness.

This structured oversight ensures that the technology enhances rather than compromises the quality of clinical decision-making and patient care.

This initiative forms a central part of the Trust's ongoing Technology and Innovation Programme, a strategic framework dedicated to examining how digital and AI solutions can continuously enhance operational efficiency and reduce administrative workload across the entire organisation.