Also known as ambient scribes, AI medical scribes are moving from a “nice to have” to everyday tools in general practice. Not because they are clever, but because they solve a real problem. Clinicians are spending too much time typing, switching screens, and catching up on notes after hours. When used effectively, AI medical scribes do more than save time. They change how teams work, learn, and care for patients.
With the emerging NHS England’s AVT Registry signalling a shift towards safer AI in primary care, use cases for AVT tools are on the rise. In this blog, we highlight five ways practices are already using AI medical scribes to transform their day and patient care.
1. Make consultations more human
The most obvious use is also the most important. AI medical scribes listen in the background and produce structured notes without the clinician having to type. Eye contact improves, clinicians are able to fully focus on the conversation, and patients feel heard the first time.
This matters more as consultations become longer and more complex. Many now involve multiple problems and long-term conditions, while social context is increasingly important. An AI medical scribe captures this detail as it happens, rather than relying on memory at the end of a busy clinic. The result? Faster, more detailed notes consistent across all practitioners, supporting clinicians to provide more attentive, confident care with AVT.
2. Reduce cognitive load for clinicians
The British Journal of General Practice published a study in 2024 that found “GPs spend 14% of their session time documenting consultation notes and updating electronic health records”. For many clinicians, the admin burden also comes after the patient has left. Notes need finishing, letters need drafting and codes need checking. This work often spills into evenings and weekends, contributing to GP burnout.
AI medical scribes help by producing structured outputs straight after the consultation, in as little as a single click. With Surgery Intellect, powered by TORTUS, transcriptions can be generated at the start or after consultations to ensure no detail is missed.
Outputs from AI medical scribes might include clinical notes, referral drafts, or admin summaries that are ready for clinicians to review before filing to the patient record for joined-up notes. Over time, this reduces administrative backlogs and helps clinics run closer to time which has a positive knock-on effect for patient access and staff morale.
3. Support telephone and in-person consultations
Not all AI medical scribes work beyond face-to-face settings. Yet a large share of primary care still happens on the phone.
Using an AI medical scribe during telephone consultations brings the same benefits as in-room use, but at scale. Every call is captured, every detail is recorded in context. Nothing relies on hurried typing while listening.
Surgery Intellect, powered by TORTUS, is designed to work across both phone and in-person consultations. By covering telephone appointments, which make up around 30% of GP consultations (NHS England, 2025)1, practices can capture more patient interactions and create a more complete patient record without the extra effort.
4. Improve training and confidence for new staff
One of the less talked about benefits of AI medical scribes is their role in training. For all clinical staff, an AI medical scribe acts as a safety net to ensure no detail is missed. For trainees, this is a significant support tool for their development. It allows them to focus on listening and learning, while still producing a clear record to review with a supervisor. This can speed up confidence-building and reduce stress in the early stages of clinical work.
When St Austell Healthcare piloted AVT tool Surgery Intellect, powered by TORTUS, a trainee pharmacist described how it changed their experience of consultations:
“When I used it myself for the first time, it was during quite a tricky consultation. Patients can often go off on tangents and it can feel like information comes from every direction. Being able to click a button at the end and see everything captured and structured was reassuring — especially as a trainee. It helped me feel confident I wasn’t missing key details.”
Related watch: Surgery Intellect, powered by TORTUS: Real results from real users
5. Create more consistent records across the team
Consistency in records is hard when everyone documents slightly differently. AI medical scribes help by producing structured outputs that follow the same format each time, supporting clearer, more consistent care. This supports better continuity of care as when another clinician opens the record, the information is easy to scan and understand.
Clear, consistent documentation from AI medical scribes also makes it easier to audit records, respond to queries, and meet clinical safety requirements. Practices using these tools often find that record quality improves across the board, not just for the individuals using the tool most often.
Using AI medical scribes to restore time to care
AI medical scribes are not a magic fix for workload pressures in primary care. What they do is remove friction from the consultation itself. They give time back at the point where it matters most. They support safer documentation, consistent quality of care and better learning environments.
As these tools mature, the most useful ones will be those that fit naturally into existing workflows. They will work across appointment types, respect governance requirements, and stay firmly in the background. Used in this way, AI medical scribes are less about automating and more about restoring attention, confidence, and time to care.
Want to experience the scribe capturing calls and consultations in just a few clicks?