Freeing up time for NHS frontline staff to focus on patients with AI-enabled people services

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The COVID-19 pandemic shook the NHS (and the country) to its core, with the effects still felt today. At IBM, we’re committed to helping organisations harness technology to operate more effectively. So, when Asif Shah, the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust People Services Digital Lead, asked for help, we answered—with the Enquire Virtual Assistant. Powered by IBM watsonx, Enquire provides 24/7 assistance to the Trust’s 6,500 employees, leading to better patient outcomes and improving job satisfaction for staff.

Cutting through the noise

NHS frontline staff and the HR departments that serve them continue to be under more pressure than ever. Since the pandemic, the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust’s People Services team has seen a sharp increase in high-volume/low-complexity enquiries.

Frontline staff felt frustrated as they had to invest a lot of time writing protracted emails or spending time on calls. The People Services Team, responsible for addressing these queries, was dealing with repetitive enquiries and struggling with an increased workload.

The People Services team knew they needed help. They contacted IBM to develop a digital solution that simplifies access to HR-related information and addresses employee inquiries. And Enquire was born.

Clicking the ‘On’ button

In just a few months, we brought the Enquire Virtual Assistant to life for East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust.

Enquire is a conversational AI platform that utilises IBM watsonx Assistant technology. It combines reliable domain-specific knowledge with advanced natural language processing and integration capabilities, making it a market-leading solution for the Trust. The system constantly learns from interactions, has out-of-the-box analytics for insights into people’s needs, and improves its responses over time.

Seeing the impact

Enquire provides NHS staff with rapid access to information about various employment topics and is outperforming a typical virtual assistant. For Virtual Assistants, a containment rate (the percentage of users that interact with the assistant and get what they need without needing to speak to someone) of 70 to 80 percent is considered pretty good. Enquire’s latest containment rate is at 93 percent, showing that it is delivering real value to the Trust’s employees—and this rate is expected to increase over time.

The East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust succeeded in reducing the strain on its People Services team. In the first year, Enquire is estimated to have saved the Trust over 3,300 hours dealing with HR-related queries, plus saved estimated costs of more than GBP 100,000.

By providing 24/7 self-service support, Enquire is helping employees use their time more effectively. The People Services team and frontline staff are free to focus on more complex, valuable tasks, leading to better patient care and higher staff satisfaction.

Replicating a winning formula

Working with the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust on their digital transformation is just the start of our journey. Solutions like this can unlock benefits for both NHS and non-NHS organisations. We’ve seen a massive increase in interest in this technology and are engaged with numerous UK organisations.

Beyond the FAQ and general information service that Enquire is providing currently, it could be used for recruitment screening, employee feedback analysis, appointment scheduling, triage prioritisation, and resource allocation, to name a few options.

The beauty of solutions like Enquire is their affordability, repeatability, and implementation speed. For every organisation, particularly in the public sector, the ability to provide a rapid ROI makes it a compelling proposition.

At IBM Client Engineering, we offer clients in every industry the opportunity to explore use cases, benefits, and proof-points for technology before making a significant financial investment. To find out more, please visit https://www.ibm.com/client-engineering or feel free to contact me on LinkedIn.