Simply making a task faster doesn’t automatically improve services. True productivity comes when organisations turn time savings into useful capacity that can be reinvested.
Our latest Futureproofing the NHS thought leadership paper explores how organisations can use AI, automation and smarter service design to free up valuable time, reduce friction and help people focus on work that matters most.
Why time matters
Ask frontline staff what they need most and the answer is rarely more technology. It’s more time.
430m
Hours lost annually to administrative burden
and operational friction across the NHS
92%
Of NHS staff surveyed spend time dealing with inefficient or duplicated processes.
92%
Report losing time because of IT system issues
51%
Say administrative burden and operational friction contribute to stress or burnout.
Giving Time Back Where It Matters Most
AI is not about replacing people. It’s about removing avoidable work and creating more time for the tasks that rely on human judgement, expertise and attention.
But technology alone cannot deliver meaningful productivity gains. Sustainable improvement comes when organisations redesign processes, strengthen operational foundations and embed new capabilities into the way people work.
The Giving Back Time report explores three principles for turning AI potential into real-world value: ensuring time saved becomes useful capacity, building strong operational foundations and designing technology around people. When these elements come together, organisations can unlock a productivity dividend that improves services, supports staff and creates more time for patient care.
From Time Saved to Useful Capacity
Making a task faster only creates value when the time released can be put to good use. An evaluation of ambient voice technology across NHS sites found increases in patient interaction and reductions in appointment length, demonstrating how technology can create more time for higher-value activities and patient care.
Build Strong Foundations First
AI is only as effective as the processes, systems and data behind it. When the Norfolk and Waveney Provider Collaborative aligned systems and data across five NHS trusts, processing times fell from two days to ten minutes and £7.3 million of potential savings opportunities were identified.
Design Around People
Technology should support professional judgement, not replace it. By mid-2026, more than 140 software robots were supporting 32 public sector processes and completing over 150,000 monthly transactions, helping reduce administrative effort while ensuring people remained responsible for oversight, problem-solving and complex decisions.
Five Tests for Meaningful Productivity
Adopting AI should be about more than introducing new technology. To create meaningful and measurable improvements, organisations need to focus on how work is delivered, where friction exists and how time can be released and put to better use.
The Giving Back Time report outlines five practical tests to help leaders assess whether AI and automation initiatives are creating genuine value and supporting better outcomes.
1. Look for Friction
Identify the processes, bottlenecks and repetitive tasks that consume time without adding value. The greatest opportunities often lie in addressing the everyday frustrations that slow down services and distract staff from higher-value work.
2. Remove and Redesign
Before automating a process, challenge whether every step is necessary. Simplifying and redesigning workflows can often create greater benefits than simply making an existing process faster.
3. Strengthen the Foundations
Reliable data, connected systems and consistent processes are essential for sustainable change. Strong operational foundations help ensure new technologies deliver meaningful results rather than embedding existing inefficiencies.
4. Design Human Accountability
Technology should support decision-making, not replace it. Clear ownership, professional judgement and appropriate oversight remain critical, particularly when dealing with complex situations that require context and expertise.
5. Follow the Time
Measure where released time goes and how it is used. True productivity is realised when time saved becomes useful capacity that improves services, supports staff and creates value for patients and organisations alike.
“The NHS has always adapted to change, but today the scale and speed are unprecedented. Rising costs, inflation, outdated systems, regulatory pressures and workforce shortages have pushed the service to a critical tipping point.Transformation is no longer optional.”
Justin Jewitt
Chair, Medefer and Board Member,
NHS Shared Business Services
Across the NHS, significant amounts of time are lost to administrative burden, duplicated processes and operational friction. While AI has the potential to help address these challenges, technology alone is not the answer. Meaningful productivity gains come when organisations combine innovation with strong operational foundations, effective service design and a clear focus on how released capacity will be used.
The Giving Back Time report highlights the importance of viewing productivity through the lens of people, processes and outcomes. By reducing avoidable work, improving access to trusted information and enabling staff to focus their expertise where it adds the most value, organisations can create capacity that supports both operational improvement and better experiences for patients and staff.
As NHS organisations continue to explore the opportunities presented by AI and automation, success will depend on turning time saved into tangible benefits. Whether through improving service quality, supporting workforce resilience, increasing capacity or enabling better decision-making, the greatest value comes from giving time back where it matters most.
Download our Report
Discover the full insights, research and practical recommendations in our latest thought leadership report.
Creating More Time Through Automation
Reducing Administrative Burden, Improving Patient Experience
When NHS admin is efficient, patients benefit. Faster processes, fewer errors and more seamless services help ensure people receive the care and support they need sooner.
Through automation and digital innovation, we’ve helped organisations streamline complex administrative tasks and release valuable capacity back to teams. One example is Ada, a digital worker introduced at Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust to support the processing of paediatric referrals.
Most importantly, faster referral processing helps children and families receive answers and access support sooner, reducing delays and creating a more consistent experience from the start of their care journey.
The impact of Ada
By reducing manual effort and improving efficiency, Ada has helped create more time for staff, reduced delays and helped patients and families receive a faster, more consistent referral experience.
- Reduced referral processing time from 40 minutes to less than five minutes
- Saves more than 1,500 staff hours per year
- Processes approximately 240 referrals every month
- Delivers a 90% reduction in errors
- Saves 116 hours every month
- Reduces response times by 50%
- Generates projected savings of around £16,000 per year
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“Ada” automates Bedfordshire and Luton referrals
Digital worker ‘Ada’ transformed referrals by processing 240 each month, reducing time by 87% and cutting errors from 10% to u...
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Equipping CDCs in Norfolk & Waveney
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View case studyExplore the Futureproofing the NHS programme
Discover the research, expert insights and recommendations that emerged from our roundtable series. Explore the full analysis, thought leadership articles and resources examining the operational foundations needed to support innovation, productivity and long-term NHS reform.
