AI triage is to be rolled out nationally through the NHS App, following an initial trial of technology from digital healthcare firm Visiba in Sussex.
NHS England has confirmed the tool will direct patients to the most appropriate service, whether that is a GP appointment, pharmacy, A&E, community service or self-care advice, and will scale to all app users by April 2028 as part of a £10bn government investment in NHS technology, digital and data systems.
Visiba said the Sussex trial, delivered in partnership with the NHS App, recorded a meaningful drop in the number of patients queuing by phone for appointments.
The Stockholm and London-based company has responded by sharpening its focus on what it calls trusted AI-enabled healthcare access infrastructure, aimed at helping providers deliver safer, faster and more scalable care through clinically governed digital workflows and patient intake tools.
“This week’s NHS announcement confirms that AI-enabled triage is moving from pilot to national infrastructure,” said Hannah Gibson, chief commercial officer and UK lead at Visiba.
“This shows what is possible when AI is built inside a regulated, clinically governed environment.
“We believe the organisations that combine genuine innovation with proven regulatory, clinical and operational credibility will be the ones healthcare systems trust to scale.”
Visiba is already deployed across NHS and Nordic healthcare systems, and is positioning itself in an area it expects to grow in importance as providers contend with rising demand, workforce shortages and pressure on access to care.
The company said its clinical intake and triage capabilities differ from consumer-grade AI tools in that they are built inside regulated healthcare environments and supported by MDR-compliant medical device certification standards.
Measurable impact
Visiba points to independent NHS evaluation data showing its systems can deliver a 37 per cent reduction in acute GP appointments, 94 per cent triage accuracy and a 23 per cent reduction in inbound practice calls, helping providers to segment patients according to clinical need.
The company holds a strong position across northern Europe, including second place in its category in Sweden, with growing positions in the UK and Norway.
Annabelle Painter, clinical AI strategy lead at Visiba, said healthcare AI is moving beyond experimentation.
Speaking from the company’s UK office in London, she said: “Providers are increasingly looking for proven infrastructure that can be trusted at scale. Our ambition is clear: to help shape the future of safe, scalable digital access to care.”
As health systems accelerate digital transformation, Visiba expects regulated AI-enabled intake to become a foundational capability for providers, insurers and digital health platforms looking to improve efficiency and patient outcomes.
Visiba UK has been awarded two NIHR research grants in the past three years to advance the evidence base for AI in NHS patient navigation, and was shortlisted for an HSJ award in 2024 for its work on the first AI model deployed into NHS 111 to triage patients.
The company is a member of Blue AB, the Swedish purpose-driven investment portfolio launched in 2016 by ecopreneur Bengt Rittri, founder of indoor air purification firm Blueair and water purification and beverage company Bluewater.
Pictured: Annabelle Painter
