What are your thoughts on the NHS AI/'virtual assistants'?

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Uhura-hoop@reddit

Rubbish. My things never seem to fit into any of their categories 🙄

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There are a limited numbers of online forms available each day at our GPs. After they've been used, you wait until the next day. The forms are not suitable for chronic health conditions that both my husband and I have (2 different ones). He is also agoraphobic and doesn't go out. Neither of us has been reviewed for over a year. We now also have the AI receptionist to go through, though not tried that yet.

We are fairly competent with technology but the hurdles to get an appointment are ridiculous. So we just puddle along. Even the meds review is by a pharmacist not GP 😏

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Uhura-hoop@reddit

It’s insane isn’t it. We have a sort of online form thing too. Patchs. I was optimistic when it first came in- I thought perhaps now we can book appts a few days in advance, perhaps now there’s no mad scramble at 8am every day to even stand a chance of making an appt. Staying in the bloody phone queue when I’m supposed to be driving to work. But no, it’s been awful. I simply don’t understand how there can be open/closed times for doing an online form. That’s mad to me. And yes, I’ve found it’s rubbish for chronic conditions, or general enquiries or most things really. I’ve logged way more things as ‘admin’ queries than I should’ve, just because that was the only option open to me. I don’t get why they make it so hard to access this viral primary care service. It shouldn’t be a gruelling ordeal.

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vcdaisy@reddit

We were able to book online for a doctor of our choosing in the years before lockdowns. We could view 6 weeks of appointments, see when whoever was free and book it ourselves. It worked really well.

Now we've gone so far backwards it feels like we don't have access to a GP at all. Plus the signs up in the practice saying you may be redirected to a pharmacist instead if it's deemed appropriate. They work fewer hours than the GP does! So that's really helpful 😶

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alilyspider@reddit

My old online triage system for the gp wouldn't let you progress if you wrote you had chest pains or other symptoms of a heart attack. It told you to go to A&E.

We'll yes. I did have a heart attack months ago, and now im trying to book regular follow ups as requested by my GP about said ongoing chest pains. Just because something is an emergency for one patient doesn't mean it's an emergency for another!

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Whitewitchie@reddit

What really frustrates me is not being able to book an appointment in advance. I know when something is not urgent and can wait until the next week. The 8am pile on for appointments is ridiculous.

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alilyspider@reddit

To be fair our new triage system has done away with the 8am. You just submit an online form and they ring you to offer an appointment. But no booking in advance of course still.

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Whitewitchie@reddit

That's my point, appointments are offered on a very limited basis. It's take it or leave it. I was once expected to get to the surgery within 15 minutes, and they were very surprised when I refused.

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idris_elbows@reddit

I look forward to the AI system going on strike

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TachiH@reddit

Bash the numbers that dont match options. Often the AI call systems have a fallback if they can't understand what is happening that will put you through to reception 🤣.

My work and GP hire the same company for telephony, I have used the direct extension for reception before and got told off 🤣

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FizzyLemonPaper@reddit

Nightmare.

I needed to book my 6 week postnatal check up and examination for my newborn and went through the AI receptionist. Got booked a telephone appointment so I had to go into the surgery to actually get it sorted into an in-person appointment and his 6-8 week Immunisations booked.

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-aLonelyImpulse@reddit

These things never seem to be able to understand my accent. It's been a problem my whole life. Automated phone tree systems, text-to-speech... I'd be royally screwed if they implemented this where I am.

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Namerakable@reddit

I just worry about those with speech difficulties. I work where we get lots of people who are undergoing speech therapy or have had a stroke, and I wonder what the AI is going to do.

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-aLonelyImpulse@reddit

Probably the same to them as it's already doing to everyone with a slight accent. I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that. Could you repeat that?

It doesn't matter how many times I repeat it! My accent will remain! In fact, if I try to slow down and enunciate, it makes it worse!

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atomic_mermaid@reddit

My work are obsessed with AI and every once in a while I begrudgingly use it for something I could do myself.

Every single time it's hallucinated some insane shit or completely ignored instructions.

E.g. - I uploaded a document and said "use the attached document to draft a job advert focussing on x,y,z." It responded "You haven't uploaded anything". I replied "I literally did though", and it went "Oh yes sorry you did. Here's your job advert".

It listed a bunch of essential criteria which were in no way essential - in fact the original document specified them as desirable. It made up ISO requirements we don't use and didn't include the ones we did. I spent longer fighting with it to do what I wanted and fact checking the damn thing than I would have done just writing it.

So no, I wouldn't trust it with anything to do with my health!

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PersonalityTough6148@reddit

Not at our GP but another local one we had to call to drop off a swab sample.

Tried calling and got frustrated with the AI receptionist so gave up. Tried to AI chatbot instead and also got frustrated.

Requested a call back from a real person because our query didn't fit any AI categories and the person was really rude.

What could have been one simple interaction with one nice human turned into three frustrating and annoying interactions. Very efficient 😑🫠

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Whitewitchie@reddit

I have found since the pandemic, the automated systems used and developed have become progressively difficult to use. I am not brilliant with IT, and it can take a lot of back and forth to get anywhere. I have been accused of all sorts, lying, about my ability to use IT, and just generally treated as a nuisance. One admin tried to talk me through using the online system, but was completely stumped that I don't have an apple phone, and wasn't prepared to go out and buy one. The NHS is heading towards a 2 tier system, one for people who can afford and keep up to date with constantly changing online systems and those with poor internet connections and aging phones or laptops. It is completely in the lap of the gods whether or not I can get through to a human being who will have the patience to find a solution for me. Don't even get me started on the AI slop which is starting to permeate my notes, when I get the chance to look at them. They are so bad in places, they are no longer describing my ailments.

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PersonalityTough6148@reddit

Is so sad because the Government believes technology and AI will somehow solve all of our problems, including chronic underfunding of the NHS. However technology including AI is made by greedy billionaires who sell rubbish products with no alternatives. The NHS are in bed with Palantir which is a disaster for patient data/information and we are just told to stop being luddites because "it's the future" despite being demonstrably crap.

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Whitewitchie@reddit

I just don't trust AI. There is too much chance it will not understand, or incorrect information is passed on. Using AI has saved GP practices money, but at the expense of patient safety.

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Plus-Ambassador-9668@reddit

The situation reminds me of that infamous Ford recall issue - cheaper to pay out the wrongful death lawsuits than to correct the entire production. Awful

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Whitewitchie@reddit

Proving medical negligence against the NHS has an extremely high bar. I don't know but suspect it is going to be similar for the motorway deaths.

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Plus-Ambassador-9668@reddit

For sure, and an additional third party (AI provider) to deflect aspersions toward.

The Ford Pinto issue- a 1973 corporate memo leaked and showed Ford executives calculated it would cost $11 per car to fix the design flaw. Ford decided that paying out settlements for expected burn deaths and injuries ($49.5 million) was cheaper than modifying the 12.5 million vehicles ($137 million).

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finH1@reddit

GP’s need a less than 60 second call line lol, if your interaction is too long you get cut off and can’t call back for the day 😝 so many times I need to call for something so quick and I’m stuck in. 30 min queue of 10 people. What are they talking about that takes so long???

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Plus-Ambassador-9668@reddit

GP’s need to start splitting practices into paediatric/working age and retired clinics. With two separate booking systems

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Top_Opening_3625@reddit

We stayed in a hotel and called for something beforehand to find it was an AI receptionist with a child’s voice. It was so creepy. We also never got anywhere and couldn’t get through to anyone.

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covertjules@reddit

My dentist is impossible to reach on the phone, nor do they respond to emails. And now they have an AI receptionist. It's not NHS though, worse it's private so you pay through the nose for this sort of service. I'm done with them, I'll be joining a new dentist.

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Gabesmermaid@reddit

Useless

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Expensive_Peace8153@reddit

A new kind of hell.

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Which-World-6533@reddit

This is the worst use of "AI" I have seen so far.

People want to be seen by a human to discuss their medical issues. Fobbing them off with an AI bot is a new low for the NHS.

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vipros42@reddit

I doubt AI can be sufficiently rude and impatient to work as an NHS receptionist/admin

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PersonalityTough6148@reddit

See my comment above. AI is not necessarily rude and impatient but it will definitely drive you to it 🤣🤣

It just goes round in circles unable to answer your question.

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CoffeeIgnoramus@reddit

I think with mental health it could be disastrous. I've suffered from severe anxiety and severe depression and honestly, not even having a human when you've finally built up the courage to talk to a human is insane to me. I think to not even have a person who can care would have destroyed me when I already wondered if anyone cared about me and my issues.

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shark-with-a-horn@reddit

This is an interesting use case

Under GDPR you have the right to not be subject to purely automated decisions

All AI ethical frameworks including the governments own, set out that meaningful human control is required at the correct stages, and the AI itself is not liable for anything. There should be visible and accessible redress options for you to raise issues with AI use particularly where it has negatively impacted you.

Whether the service you mentioned is doing all this, I don't know, but it's a good basis to challenge it on.

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Brickie78@reddit

It sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

I walk with a stick because of a deformed foot, which might not have been half as bad if I hadn't spent two months with remote triage services booking me phone calls with physios and sending me information about sprains. When I finally got in front of an actual doctor they were like "My God, you've been walking on this?! If only we'd caught it earlier.

And that was actual human beings, albeit ones in a call centre just following a triage flowchart.

Absolutely no confidence in the idea of using the machine that sometimes encourages people to commit suicide to do mental health work.

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Classic-Wafer-7838@reddit

Do they programme the AI to be grumpy like a GP receptionist? I don't think a GP visit would feel complete without a receptionist making me feel like I'm personally inconveniencing her.

But in answer to your question, I hate stuff like that and will mash buttons until I get put through to a human. I speak fairly RP English and even then those bots don't seem to understand me half the time.

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Sea_Grand_3118@reddit

My concern is not the technology itself. It is what happens when organizations treat it as a replacement rather than a filter. If AI handles routine requests and humans remain easily accessible for anything complex, it could work well. If patients have to fight the system to reach a person, frustration becomes inevitable.

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PomegranateNo2784@reddit

My elderly relatives are having a nightmare with it and the reliance on technology in general. They’re in their 80s and being asked to send over photos of things and are sent links to videos for physical therapy ect, this AI receptionist seems the icing on the cake for them. They have a smartphone but have limited ability to use it and find it all very stressful! I keep saying you should demand a different service but they hate feeling stupid, I don’t live near so can’t really help them either.

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QueefInMyKisser@reddit

Receptionists not good enough at fobbing off patients any more so get a robot to do it instead?

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Fancy-Dream-674@reddit

The success of these systems depends less on how smart the AI is and more on how easy it is to escape the AI when needed. Most people are happy with automation when it solves simple problems quickly. They become frustrated when the system confidently handles situations that really require human judgment.

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