Nine in 10 NHS staff use AI in their work, survey says

Nine in 10 NHS healthcare professionals are using artificial intelligence in their work, according to a survey commissioned by Heidi. Seven in 10 respondents said patients are positive about AI being used in their care.

The findings are based on a Censuswide survey of 1,000 NHS healthcare professionals working across primary, secondary and community care, excluding trainees. The results suggest rapid adoption of AI tools in day-to-day clinical practice, particularly for administrative work that staff say has grown in recent years.

Four in five respondents said their administrative burden had increased, while three quarters said they regularly felt stretched beyond what they could manage within working hours. On average, staff reported spending 1.3 hours on admin tasks on top of a full day of patient care.

Documentation was the biggest pressure point overall, cited by 56% of those surveyed. The burden was higher in some groups, reaching 70% for allied health professionals, 63% for pharmacists and 61% for nurses.

Pressure points varied across the workforce. GPs were most likely to cite referrals and letters, named by 52%, while surgeons most often pointed to chasing test results, mentioned by 67%.

Routine use

The survey suggests AI has moved beyond experimental use for much of the workforce. One third of respondents said they use it often in clinical work, while only 10% said they had never used AI in a clinical setting.

Its most common uses were routine administrative tasks. Three quarters said AI added the most value in general admin, 73% in drafting referrals and letters, and 72% in writing up notes after consultations.

Two thirds also said AI was useful for patient follow-ups. Another 63% said the technology helped them sustain a longer, more manageable career, linking its use to wider concerns about staff pressure and retention in the health service.

Use has also held steady or risen over the past year. Almost all respondents, 94%, said their use of AI had either increased or stayed the same, rising to 96% or more among Hospital Doctors, Pharmacists and Mental Health Professionals.

Self-directed uptake

The survey suggests much of this adoption has happened without formal instruction from employers. Nearly two thirds, or 65%, said they had largely navigated AI tools on their own initiative rather than through workplace guidance.

That may help explain why some staff remain cautious even as use spreads. Among respondents who do not currently use AI, the most common reason was a lack of clear policy and guidance for clinical practice, cited by 18%.

Across the full sample, concerns focused on privacy, over-reliance and accuracy. Patient privacy was cited by 35%, while 30% pointed to over-reliance on AI and 28% raised concerns about accuracy.

Respondents also set out what they wanted policymakers and regulators to prioritise as use becomes more common. The most frequently cited issue was clear accountability when AI contributes to clinical decisions, named by 35%, followed by strong protection of patient data privacy at 34%, ongoing monitoring of AI performance at 30%, and gradual adoption with proper support at 29%.

Patient views

The findings also indicate that clinicians do not see patients as a barrier to wider use. Seventy per cent of those surveyed said patients were positive about AI being used in their care.

That matters because patient acceptance has often been treated as a possible obstacle to introducing digital tools into frontline settings. In this survey, however, staff were more likely to identify the need for clearer governance and workplace support than resistance from the public.

Heidi, which markets an AI assistant for clinicians, said the data showed healthcare professionals had already integrated the technology into the way they manage growing workloads. The results also pointed to a need for NHS organisations and regulators to provide clearer frameworks for safe, accountable use.

Dr Hannah Allen, Chief Medical Officer at Heidi, said: "These findings reflect what we hear every day from patients and clinicians. Patients are ready for this, and healthcare professionals have already made AI part of how they manage a workload that has grown well beyond what most would call sustainable.

"We're already seeing high adoption rates across the clinical workforce. This presents a real opportunity for trusts, ICBs and regulators to build on that momentum, in partnership with healthcare professionals, by expanding procurement routes that focus on the value AI can add to patient care, alongside clear guidance and good practice.

"Matching that responsibility with the right support is how we offer healthcare professionals a sense of relief and keep them in the profession for longer."