New online community to guide the future of ambient voice technology in health and care
Ambient voice technology (AVT), also known as a “digital scribe” or “AI scribe,” is gaining momentum across the NHS. With its potential to ease the burden of clinical documentation and free up time for patient care, AVT is often seen as a promising innovation, featuring heavily in the NHS 10-year plan. But as excitement builds, so does the need for careful, evidence-based implementation.
“As demands grow for outpatient clinics to see more patients and manage administrative workloads, AVT is emerging as a potential solution,” said Mary Dixon-Woods, Director of THIS Institute. “It’s important that these technologies are implemented thoughtfully, evaluated rigorously, and used to improve both clinician experience and patient care.”
To support this, THIS Institute has launched AVID – the Ambient Voice Innovation and Development community. AVID is an online space where NHS staff, researchers, and other non-commercial stakeholders can come together to share insights, collaborate, and shape how AVT is used in practice.
Why AVID, and why now?
The NHS faces unprecedented challenges: workforce shortages, rising demand, and increasing complexity in care delivery. Technologies like AVT offer hope, but only if they’re implemented in ways that genuinely support staff and improve patient outcomes.
“We need new methods for evaluating technology in the health service that can keep up with the pace of innovation and support people across the NHS to test and learn together”, said Hugh Alderwick, Director of Policy and Research at the Health Foundation. “AVID is designed to do that – connecting people implementing technology while providing a platform for the robust evaluation needed to ensure these changes benefit patients and staff.”
What makes AVID different?
AVID is built as a community of practice – a dynamic, peer-led network where members learn from each other through ongoing interaction. Unlike traditional working groups, communities of practice are bottom-up, adaptive, and inclusive. They bring together diverse voices, from clinicians and managers to researchers and policymakers.
This approach was inspired by NHS England’s April 2025 guidance on AI-enabled ambient scribing, which called for a national community to support shared learning and best practice.
What will AVID do?
AVID will support members to:
- Share experiences and best practices around AVT implementation
- Contribute to real-world piloting and evaluation
- Explore broader issues such as ethics, safety, and equity
Hosted on the Thiscovery platform, AVID offers an intuitive, ad-free interface designed for collaboration. It’s already supporting a pilot evaluation of AVT at a single NHS trust, involving real-time staff feedback, workflow co-design, and process evaluation.
Join the AVID community
AVID is open to those involved in planning, implementing, or evaluating AVT in health and care. Whether you’re working on the frontlines or shaping deployment and strategy, this is your space to connect and learn.
How to register:
AVID isn’t just a platform—it’s a growing movement to ensure AVT is used wisely, effectively, and for the benefit of all.
- Visit https://ambientvoice.thiscovery.org and click Sign up
- Enter your email and click Register
- Check your inbox (and spam folder) for a confirmation email
- Click the link in the email to complete your registration
- You’ll hear from a community administrator