When it comes to improving access to primary care, patient communication is key. Yet, for too many patients, getting support still feels like navigating a maze, especially during peak hours or when digital tools don’t speak to their needs. At the same time, GPs face mounting demand, limited capacity and systems that weren’t designed to work together.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is starting to shift this picture. Not with silver bullets, but with smart, embedded support that reduces friction, makes conversations more meaningful and ultimately helps more patients get the right care, first time.
This blog explores how AI is transforming patient communication in primary care and how tools like Surgery Assist and Surgery Intellect are quietly improving the experience for both patients and clinicians.
Smarter access starts with AI in patient communication
The government’s ‘Fit for the future: 10 Year Health Plan for England’ sets a clear direction for the NHS: shift from hospital to community, from analogue to digital and from sickness to prevention. Patient-controlled, digitally enabled access is central to this vision. It’s not just about using more tech, but deploying smarter, integrated services that give people choice and control over how they interact with the NHS.
In that context, AI tools in patient communication offer three clear advantages:
- Unlocks 24/7 patient support without overburdening staff
- Simplifies access for patients with complex needs or low digital confidence
- Reduces the time clinicians spend documenting, so they can focus on care
That combination is what makes AI such a powerful enabler, not just of efficiency but of more equitable access and higher-quality interactions.
Improving first contact resolution through patient communication tools
A huge proportion of daily demand on GP practices stems from patients who don’t necessarily need an appointment, but do need help navigating the system.
That’s where tools like Surgery Assist come in, supporting smart patient navigation first to manage demand better. As an AI-powered care navigation chatbot, it enables patients to explain their needs in their own words, 24/7. It signposts patients to relevant services, such as Pharmacy First, self-referral options or appointment booking through the NHS App, while deflecting calls away from the phone line.
And it’s already delivering impact. At Tudor Lodge Health Centre, Surgery Assist helped reduce total call volume by 23% and missed calls by 65%. With support for multiple languages and no login required, the tool also helps widen access for those who might otherwise face digital or linguistic barriers. This isn’t about replacing human contact; it’s about supporting better communication and care navigation from the first touchpoint.
Enhancing the consultation with voice AI in patient communication
AI doesn’t only support patients before they reach a clinician, it also improves what happens once they do.
Tools using Ambient Voice Technology (AVT) like Surgery Intellect enable GPs to consult without the distraction of typing. Powered by TORTUS, the only UK-built AVT tool for primary care transcribes and codes consultations in real time, generating notes and follow-up documents that the GP can review and save. The impact is immediate. Patients get a more attentive, eye-to-eye consultation while GPs reclaim valuable time: [Early adopters report saving up to four minutes per appointment]. As for practices, it unlocks capacity while reducing burnout.
While voice AI empowers care continuity, it also improves the quality of patient communication. With fewer admin barriers, clinicians can listen more, respond better and deliver clearer outcomes. That’s particularly valuable when supporting patients with language needs, neurodivergence or multiple long-term complex conditions.
Reducing health inequalities with inclusive AI patient communication tools
The 10 Year Health Plan places equity front and centre, acknowledging that poorer communities often experience worse access, worse outcomes and more barriers to care. AI in patient communication can help shift that narrative. Not by offering a one-size-fits-all experience, but by flexing to meet patients where they are.
Surgery Assist, for example, requires no login and is accessible on mobile, desktop or in-person with receptionist support. It provides personalised signposting and can adapt to reflect community care services and common patient intents. That makes it ideal for areas with diverse populations and variable digital confidence. Meanwhile, tools like Surgery Intellect enhance equity of access within the consultation itself, ensuring that care is accurately recorded, promptly actioned and communicated clearly, regardless of background or health literacy.
By closing these communication gaps, at first contact and throughout the care journey, AI offers a powerful route to levelling up access. When patients feel heard and supported, care becomes more consistent, outcomes improve, and longstanding inequalities begin to narrow.
AI in patient communication is enabling a more accessible future
To meet the goals of the 10 Year Plan, patient communication needs to be proactive, personalised and available across multiple channels.
AI makes this possible, without compromising on care. It improves the way patients articulate their needs, how staff respond and how the system adapts in real time. And as these technologies become more embedded into everyday workflows, their impact will continue to grow.
But this isn’t about more tech for the sake of it. It’s about leveraging AI in patient communication to make access faster, fairer and more human. When digital tools remove the admin burden and connect people to the right care, first time, clinicians, patients and the community benefit.
The future of patient access isn’t just digital. It’s intelligent, inclusive and grounded in better conversations.