The Rise of AI in GP Services and Its Impact on Patients
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used in healthcare, with some general practices replacing human receptionists with AI chatbots. This shift has led to significant concerns among patients, who claim that booking appointments or requesting repeat prescriptions has become more challenging than ever.
The Introduction of Emma
One such AI system, named Emma (Enhanced Medical Management Assistant), was introduced to help manage the high volume of calls from patients trying to book appointments or request repeat prescriptions. However, many patients have found the experience frustrating and impersonal. Instead of speaking to a human, they are now interacting with an AI that lacks empathy and often fails to understand them.
Emma was designed to ease the backlog caused by the 8am rush for appointments, but its implementation has been met with criticism. Some patients prefer waiting on hold for a human operator rather than dealing with the chatbot. This preference aligns with the government’s push towards digital services, but it has not been well-received by everyone.
Challenges Faced by Patients
Patients have reported a variety of issues with the AI system. These include long phone calls, being cut off mid-conversation, having to repeat themselves, and not being understood due to accents. This problem is particularly pronounced in areas like Yorkshire, where accent-related misunderstandings are common.
The elderly and those with learning disabilities or speech impairments face the greatest challenges. Many find it difficult to communicate effectively with the chatbot, which often fails to understand their questions or needs. Sue Wainright, a 74-year-old from Doncaster, had to speak to Emma for three consecutive days to secure a same-day appointment for a skin cancer-related issue. She spent 10 minutes on each call, repeatedly answering questions about her pain levels, medication, and medical history. Despite her efforts, she received a text stating there were no appointments available and advised to try again the next day.
When she visited her GP, she found that there was “no record” of her calls, and the receptionists suggested she queue outside the practice at 7:45am before it opened. She described the situation as shocking and an awful experience.
Struggles with Communication
Another pensioner described the process as “impossible” to get through on the phone, noting that the system requires an understanding of the phonetic alphabet, which many people do not have. A separate patient spent 10 minutes “like an idiot, spelling out every letter to a robot,” describing the service as “AI slop.”
The introduction of AI may save time and money, but a study by a national newspaper found the early use of Emma has been “wholly negative.” Many people reported difficulties requesting repeat prescriptions, as they must provide details of each drug, the dosage, and the reason for taking it. If the system fails to understand them, they would be forced to repeat the process for every item.
Others cited issues such as being misunderstood, asked irrelevant questions, or having to consistently redial to speak about separate requests they may have, as the chatbot can only process one per call. One patient was even prescribed the wrong drug.
Concerns from Pharmacies
Pharmacies have also voiced concerns about being unable to speak to GP surgeries by phone about a patient’s prescription. This is particularly relevant with “nomad trays,” which are used by pharmacists to organise drugs for elderly patients with numerous drugs and schedules.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting pledged to “fix the front door to the NHS” through the improvement of access to GPs. The NHS has been contacted for comment.
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