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NHS Replaces A&E Receptionists with iPads
— 2 mins read
Campaigners fear elderly patients will face a 'computer says no' system
Hospitals across England have been told to install digital check-in screens in A&E departments by winter, with patients answering questions on a kiosk or tablet before they are seen.
Sir Jim Mackey, the head of NHS England, urged health leaders to adopt the 'digital triage' system in a speech to the NHS ConfedExpo conference in Manchester on 10 June. He called bringing 'order' to urgent and emergency care his 'personal obsession'.
Patients arriving at A&E answer questions about their symptoms and medical history on the screens. Some will be prioritised for immediate treatment. Others will be sent to a pharmacy or GP, or given an appointment to come back later.
Anyone arriving by ambulance or needing immediate life-saving care bypasses the system. NHS England says staff will complete the assessment for anyone who cannot use the technology, and every final decision rests with an NHS worker, not the screen.
The pilot numbers, and where they come from
The system, known officially as the urgent care self-service tool, is already running at 18 hospital sites.
At East Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, average time in the department fell from 178 minutes to 94 between August 2021 and August 2025. Up to 75% of patients were redirected elsewhere or booked to return later. The figures come from a case study published by Strata Health, the trust's commercial software partner.
'People will fall through the net'
Dennis Reed, director of the over-60s campaign group Silver Voices, told LBC he was worried about patients who cannot describe their symptoms properly on a screen. 'People will fall through the net in large numbers if this is rolled out', he said, warning it risks becoming a case of 'computer says no'.
People will fall through the net in large numbers if this is rolled out.
