New technologies – in particular, AI scribes based on ambient voice technology (AVT) – promise to free up clinical time and increase NHS productivity. AI scribes automatically transcribe and summarise clinical consultations, with the intention to reduce the documentation burden for clinicians.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is seen as a way of solving many problems that currently face general practice – from growing demand to workforce shortages, and with online consultation systems now available in many English GP practices, the rising volume of digital patient requests has created both an opportunity and a challenge.

The Thirlwall Inquiry was set up to examine events at the Countess of Chester Hospital

THIS Institute has appointed Professor Carl Macrae as a research professor, strengthening its capabilities in healthcare safety, system resilience, and the responsible integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare.

Speaking to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Patient Safety earlier this year, Mary Dixon-Woods, Director of THIS Institute, argued that the patient safety movement needs to rethink its approach, warning that the NHS is generating huge numbers of recommendations but not enough meaningful change.

In THIS Institute’s 2026 Annual Lecture, Mary Dixon-Woods explores whether improvement and innovation can help save the NHS, and what it will take to turn ambition into meaningful, system-wide reform.