Require NHS patients to have the right to human contact instead of AI at triage

Summary

Patients contacting NHS primary care must always have the option to speak to a person, and AI must not be the sole mechanism for assessing symptoms or urgency or deciding whether a patient can access care. The government must urgently review the deployment of AI systems in NHS call handling. Some patients have been required to speak to an AI call-handling service when contacting their GP surgery. We think AI systems can ask unnecessary questions and make incorrect suggestions. We are concerned that this can make it hard to access the right support, and that medication and treatment could be delayed. AI has the potential to support our NHS, but it cannot become a barrier between patients & the healthcare they need. Patients must retain the right to speak to a human.

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Timeline

1. 17 September 2026

   Petition

   Patients contacting NHS primary care must always have the option to speak to a person, and AI must not be the sole mechanism for assessing symptoms or urgency or deciding whether a patient can access care. The government must urgently review the deployment of AI systems in NHS call handling. Some patients have been required to speak to an AI call-handling service when contacting their GP surgery. We think AI systems can ask unnecessary questions and make incorrect suggestions. We are concerned that this can make it hard to access the right support, and that medication and treatment could be delayed. AI has the potential to support our NHS, but it cannot become a barrier between patients & the healthcare they need. Patients must retain the right to speak to a human.

   Source: Petition

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