Smarter Notes, Safer Care: Why AI Transcription is a Patient Safety Priority

Patient safety starts with the basics. Before diagnoses, prescriptions or procedures, it depends on something simpler: accurate documentation.

Across the NHS and wider system, the challenge of clinical notetaking continues to compromise care.

Documentation errors contribute to around 10% of patient safety incidents – an avoidable statistic with real consequences, from missed diagnoses to delayed treatments. In a pressured healthcare environment, getting the notes right is no longer a nice-to-have. It’s a clinical imperative.

Too often, clinicians are expected to complete detailed notes after hours, recalling the specifics of complex consultations long after the moment has passed. This practice, born from overloaded systems and legacy workflows, is not just inefficient – it introduces risk.

Now, AI is beginning to close gaps

AI transcription tools are being used to improve both the speed and quality of clinical documentation, helping doctors capture structured notes in real time. These are not off-the-shelf voice recognition apps.

They are intelligent, healthcare-specific systems trained in medical terminology, designed to follow the flow of clinical conversations and output accurate, formatted notes within seconds.

AI scribes like Tandem, for example, are already proving their value in clinical settings. Unlike general-purpose tools, they are purpose-built for healthcare, meaning they understand context, catch nuances, and generate documentation that reflects the reality of modern practice.

The impact is significant. Real-time, structured notes reduce the risk of omission and error, making it easier for clinicians to provide safe, continuous care.

At the same time, they allow doctors to stay fully present during consultations, supporting clearer communication and stronger patient relationships

For system leaders, the benefits go even further. AI-generated documentation offers a consistent, time-stamped clinical record – supporting legal defensibility, audit readiness, and retrospective case reviews.

This is particularly relevant for Trusts operating under scrutiny, where documentation is often central to both internal assessments and external inspections.

Operationally, the gains are clear. Clinicians using AI scribes report saving one to two hours per day. That time can be reinvested into patient care, clinical collaboration, or simply ending the day on time.

In pilot studies, 100% of surveyed users said they would recommend the tool to a colleague – a rare consensus in any area of health technology.

For stretched systems, those hours matter. When scaled across a Trust, even modest time savings translate into substantial capacity gains.

And in a sector where burnout is rising and retention is a growing concern, reducing admin burden is more than a convenience – it’s a workforce strategy.

AI scribes are not a silver bullet, but they are a tested and low-friction way to improve a critical part of care delivery

They work alongside existing systems and workflows, with minimal disruption, and deliver value from day one.

As the NHS progresses its digital transformation and enacts the Long Term Workforce Plan, solutions that improve safety and staff wellbeing simultaneously should move quickly from pilot to standard practice.

Better documentation is one of the simplest ways to improve patient safety. AI is already helping make it possible – reliably, securely, and at scale.

The priority now is clear: embed it across the system and make safe, real-time notes the new standard of care.

Article by: Dr Katie Baker, Director of UK and Ireland at Tandem Health