Ambient Voice Technology
Using AI tools to help with note taking during appointments
Your doctor, nurse or other healthcare professional may use a tool during your appointment that helps them take notes using artificial intelligence (AI). This tool listens to the conversation and turns it into written notes that can go into your medical record.
Why is this helpful?
Using these tools means your clinician can:
- Focus fully on you during your appointment, without having to write things down while you’re speaking.
- Spend less time on paperwork and more time helping patients.
- Quickly create clear and accurate notes from your visit.
Before anything is saved to your record, your clinician will always check the notes to make sure they are correct.
What tools do we use?
At the moment, we may use:
- Heidi Health
- AccuRx Scribe
Both tools meet NHS safety and privacy standards, and we’ve completed checks to make sure your information is protected.
Is my personal information shared?
- Heidi Health does not receive your personal details (like your name or date of birth).
- AccuRx Scribe works with our clinical system, so your name, date of birth, NHS number and gender are used to match the notes to the correct medical record. This is necessary to keep your records accurate and safe.
Both companies only use your information on our behalf and under strict data protection agreements. Your information is not sold or shared with anyone else.
Is the appointment recorded?
No, your conversation is not saved as a recording. The AI tool listens to your appointment in real-time and creates a written version, then the audio is automatically deleted straight away.
- Heidi Health: The written notes are stored briefly on their system but are deleted once the clinician saves them to your record.
- AccuRx Scribe: Notes and personal details are kept securely for up to 30 days, then deleted.
Will anyone else see my notes?
Only the technical team from Heidi or AccuRx may access the information—and only if they need to fix a problem or keep the system running safely. This access is very limited, logged, and carefully checked.
What if I don’t want this used during my appointment?
That’s absolutely fine. If you’d prefer your clinician not to use the tool, just let them know when your appointment starts. It won’t affect the care you receive in any way.
We also let patients know about these tools through our phone system, posters, and signs in the practice.
Want to know more?
You can read more about each tool here: