What does NHS England's guidance on ambient voice technology say?

Who the guidance is for

The guidance is for health and care settings in England adopting an ambient scribing product, or a new function in one. It is written mainly for chief information officers and chief clinical information officers, with a technical appendix for product teams. It does not cover individuals using tools outside their organisation's oversight. Private clinics are not bound by it, but it is the most detailed public checklist for adopting an AI scribe in the UK.

The steps it expects

• Clinical safety: assign a clinical safety officer, identify technical and clinical risks, and complete DCB0160 documentation, including a safety case, hazard log and monitoring plan. Get the supplier's DCB0129 evidence. See DCB0129 and DCB0160.
• Data protection: complete a DPIA, involving information governance early. See DPIA for clinic AI.
• Medical device status: confirm the product has been correctly assessed under medical device regulation and is registered with the MHRA where applicable. Status depends on the manufacturer's intended purpose.
• Human review: users review and approve outputs before any further action, are trained on approved use, and remain responsible for what they approve.
• Patient information: explain what is recorded, what the output is, who uses it and how it is stored. Update privacy notices and inform patients before processing so they can object. See patient consent and transparency.
• Retention and security: define how long audio, transcripts and outputs are kept, confirm where data is stored, and check UK GDPR, DSPT and Cyber Essentials.
• Integration: integrate with the electronic patient record rather than relying on copy and paste.
• Monitoring: audit documentation accuracy, review incidents and performance, and check for bias, including performance across accents and dialects.

Pilots and liability

Pilots should last no more than four months, and running a pilot does not exempt a supplier from compliance. The guidance also asks organisations to involve legal teams early and make sure contracts clearly set out what the supplier and the organisation are each responsible for.

The AVT supplier registry

Alongside the guidance, NHS England runs a self-certified registry of ambient scribing suppliers, with supporting evidence to help local procurement. It sets supplier expectations including DTAC completion, MHRA registration where applicable, integration capability and performance monitoring. It is not a commercial framework: NHS England only checks that submissions are complete and does not endorse listed suppliers. Each organisation still runs its own assurance.