Independent evaluation of TORTUS ambient voice technology shows time savings and improved patient interaction for Kent and Medway

An independent evaluation has found that TORTUS, an ambient voice technology for clinical documentation, can deliver efficiency and wellbeing benefits for NHS staff in Kent and Medway.

Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) and TORTUS commissioned Unity Insights to evaluate a rapid pilot of TORTUS at Kent and Medway Integrated Care System. It took place across seven sites in four settings: community paediatrics, acute outpatients, primary care, and adult social care.

What was tested?

TORTUS is an AI-powered tool that records and transcribes patient-clinician conversations, generating structured summaries tailored to clinical requirements. The technology aims to reduce clinical documentation time by up to 25%, allowing clinicians more time for quality patient interactions.

The pilot trialled TORTUS simultaneously across four different settings, each with unique governance structures and requirements. Implementation was supported by a central project team and a steering group representing all partners.

Key results

• Efficiency and wellbeing: The evaluation found that TORTUS can deliver both efficiency gains and improved staff wellbeing in real-world scenarios. Staff in primary care reported the greatest uptake and perceived time savings, with some describing TORTUS as “like my right arm.”
• Patient and staff acceptability: Most staff considered TORTUS safe and supportive of better patient interactions. Over half wished to continue using TORTUS and would recommend it to colleagues. Patient groups were broadly supportive, seeing the benefits of AI in healthcare.
• Variation across settings: While primary care saw the strongest benefits, uptake and perceived value varied in other settings. Adult social care sites ended their pilot early after failing to realise the perceived benefits. Variation in acceptability across staff was due to a combination of factors, including delays between training and implementation, Information Governance (IG) delays, changes in software, some knowledge gaps in staff members, and some difficulties in communication between the trial and the innovator.
• Implementation learnings: The pilot identified key factors for successful adoption, including the importance of training, clear roles and responsibilities, effective feedback loops, and sufficient time for template development.

Jenny Partridge, Innovation Manager at Health Innovation KSS – “This was an ambitious project testing a new technology across four different care settings and everyone involved is to be applauded for their commitment to trialling a new approach of working at scale to reduce duplication, whilst identifying and adapting to local organisational standards and risks. There have been some significant learnings from this project, and it has been rewarding to see the positive impact on the workforce of providing a safe, accurate automated means to reduce the burden of notetaking.”

Dr Dominic Pimenta, CEO of Tortus AI – “It was a great pleasure to work on this ambitious pilot across all of Kent ICB last summer. It was very clear that TORTUS can add a lot of value to a lot of different clinicians but also very clear that implementation and adoption is the hardest part of the transformation journey and not to be underestimated. Having the support of Health Innovation Kent, Surrey, Sussex alongside the ICB helped to identify the implementation and adoption challenges. These valuable learnings have informed the first full acute trust roll outs of AVT in the NHS as TORTUS scales across the nation. A huge thank you to the team at the ICB and Health Innovation KSS for all their hard work and rigour around this highly diverse and informative pilot.”

Dr Mayur Vibhuti, Chief Clinical Information Officer at NHS Kent & Medway ICB – “Piloting ambient voice technology across multiple care settings has given us invaluable insight into how AI can support our workforce and improve patient experience. This project demonstrates Kent and Medway’s ability to innovate at scale and learn quickly from real-world testing with the support of Health Innovation KSS.”

Next steps

The evaluation makes several recommendations for future pilots and wider adoption:

• Define clear roles and responsibilities between all parties, with robust feedback mechanisms.
• Develop a shared understanding of the difference in use case and environment for each implementation setting.
• Allocate time for effective template development and user training.
• Ensure users understand both the capabilities and limitations of ambient AI.
• Establish two-way communication between users and the technology provider.

The TORTUS pilot demonstrates that, when implemented under the right conditions, ambient voice technology can deliver meaningful benefits for staff and patients, contributing to system-wide efficiencies. The evaluation highlights the importance of planning, training, and collaboration to maximise value and ensure successful adoption.

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Trials in other regions

In other regions, a recent trial led by Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) tested TORTUS across nine NHS sites in London, including hospitals, GP practices, mental health services, and ambulances. The study found that the technology increased direct patient interaction time, reduced appointment length, and enabled clinicians to see more patients per shift.

Clinicians reported feeling less overwhelmed by notetaking, and the tool was described as transformative, particularly for neurodivergent staff and those in high-pressure environments. The trial also received strong support from patients and families, with over 90% consenting to its use and reporting improved engagement during consultations. Find out more here.

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