Manpreet Singh, consultant anaesthetist (Perioperative Medicine clinical lead) (Image provided by The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust)
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) is piloting an AI tool during clinical consultations to enhance efficiency and productivity and allow consultants more time with patients.
The pilot of CLEARNotes launched at the trust on 4 March 2025 and is contracted to last for three months, with the opportunity to extend usage if it proves successful.
CLEARNotes operates by listening to doctor-patient conversations during a consultation and automatically generating a structured discussion summary, with the aim of reducing paperwork for clinicians.
Dr Yat Li, consultant anaesthetist and chief clinical information officer (CCIO) at RWT, said: “By safely exploring and using AI technologies like CLEARnotes in the NHS, we have the potential to transform the way we deliver and improve care for our patients while releasing valuable time back to clinical staff.”
The expected benefits of CLEARnotes include the potential to enhance productivity by 20 to 80%, potential to reduce paperwork by up to 75%, the ability to capture more detail in medical records, improved documentation, and improved job satisfaction with reduced burnout and increased staff retention.
The NHS England-funded pilot saw CLEARnotes launch at New Cross Hospital, initially focusing on anaesthetic assessments.
Dr John Jeans, consultant anaesthetist and co-founder of the National CLEAR Programme, which drives frontline 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.”
CLEARNotes is also hoped to transform how NHS clinicians manage documentation.
Mandeep Chana, group manager for anaesthesia, perioperative, pain medicine and integrated critical care unit directorate, added: “By streamlining documentation, CLEARNotes can reduce anaesthetic assessment times – enabling us to see more patients, improve surgical readiness, and optimise clinic capacity.”
Meanwhile, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children is leading a pan-London trial of TORTUS, funded by NHS frontline digitisation, with the aim of evaluating the use of ambient voice technology in the NHS at scale, including GP settings, adult hospitals, A&E departments and mental health services.
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust also announced in January 2025 that it is piloting the TORTUS AI assistant which uses ambient voice technology to listen to consultations and draft clinic notes and summary letters.