NHS staff save 43 minutes daily using AI, freeing 400,000 hours monthly and cutting costs significantly
A major NHS AI trial shows Microsoft 365 Copilot can save staff 43 minutes per day, equating to 400,000 hours monthly. This equates to five weeks annually per staff member. These efficiencies are expected to lead to substantial cost savings, which can be reinvested into enhancing patient care and frontline services.
Largest AI trial in healthcare
The largest artificial intelligence trial of its kind globally in healthcare, involving more than 30,000 NHS workers, has shown the impact of AI on time savings for NHS staff.
The trial spanned across 90 NHS organisations and saved an average of 43 minutes per staff member per day or more, enabling staff to focus more effectively on frontline care and increase productivity.
The NHS estimates that the AI tool could save millions of pounds monthly based on 100,000 users, which can be directly spent on improving patient care and frontline services.
This forms part of the plan to create a more efficient NHS by harnessing technology while cutting waste and duplication. NHS productivity for acute trusts increased by 2.7% between April 2024 and March 2025, exceeding the government’s 2% year-on-year target set in the 10 Year Health Plan.
Health Innovation Minister Dr Zubir Ahmed said: “As an NHS surgeon and clinician, I know how frustrating it can be to be held up by archaic technology that makes day-to-day tasks painstakingly long.
This partnership with Microsoft will help free up staff from spending time on admin so they can focus on what they want to be doing – treating patients.
Innovations like this will help drive NHS productivity so patients can get the treatment they need sooner, and there is better value for taxpayers. We’re ensuring every pound is spent cutting waiting times and boosting care through our Plan for Change.”
Microsoft AI tool saves thousands of hours a month
Within the NHS, over one million meetings occur on Teams, and with the Microsoft 365 Copilot tool, 83,333 hours of note-taking time could be saved every month. Another 13,200 hours per month could be saved.
The AI personal assistant could save 271,000 hours a month by summarising complex and long email chains for clinicians and staff. Reducing time spent on admin enables staff to redirect their time towards patient care and clinical activities.
Microsoft Copilot chat is now available throughout the entire NHS at no additional cost to the health service. Currently, over 50,000 staff members across the NHS are using Microsoft 365 Copilot. This software integrates Microsoft AI directly into the office applications that staff use on a daily basis, such as Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. It allows users to ask questions or provide prompts to receive assistance with tasks and workflows, enhancing collaboration among colleagues and enabling them to manage tasks more effectively and efficiently.
Darren Hardman, CEO, Microsoft UK & Ireland, said: “This major NHS AI trial proves the extraordinary potential of AI to transform healthcare. By reducing admin and giving healthcare workers back a reported 43 minutes daily, Microsoft 365 Copilot can help the NHS redirect hundreds of thousands of hours each month towards patient care and potentially save hundreds of millions of pounds yearly.
We’re proud to support the NHS in this digital transformation, which shows how AI can reduce time-consuming admin for NHS workers and improve patient care quality.”
