120 licences, four specialties: an AI scribe pilot at Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust extends its pilot of Accurx Scribe, powered by Tandem, by six months and secures 120 licences.
Type:
Secondary Care
Specialties:
Gastroenterology, Rheumatology, Paediatrics and Surgical same day emergency care (SDEC)
Licences secured:
120
120
licences secured across the trust
73%
of in-scope users activated
6 months
pilot extension agreed
Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust now has 120 Accurx Scribe licences and a six month pilot extension after four specialties tried the AI scribe. The trust credits its own Digital Training and Engagement team, which worked inside the pilot as active partners.
“The support you’ve given me has been absolutely amazing all the way through. You’ve gone over and above. It’s different for us because we’ve never had this kind of support from an outside team, so it’s working both ways.”
Claire Bowell, Digital Training and Engagement Manager, Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
What has Barnsley achieved with an AI scribe so far?
Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has run Accurx Scribe, powered by Tandem, since February 2026. Scribe is an AI scribe, a form of ambient voice technology (AVT) that listens to a consultation and drafts the clinical note for the clinician to review.
Four specialties use it: gastroenterology, rheumatology, paediatrics and surgical same day emergency care (SDEC).
The numbers moved quickly. In week 1, clinicians generated 141 notes in gastroenterology and 125 in surgical SDEC. In paediatrics, half the cohort was onboarded within four days.
Across the trust, 73 per cent of in-scope users have activated Scribe and 120 licences are secured. The trust has agreed a six month extension to the pilot.
Why does Barnsley’s AI scribe pilot matter nationally?
In February 2026, Barnsley was named the UK’s first government-backed Tech Town, a national blueprint for how AI can transform public services. At the centre of that ambition sits Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, where AI is being trialled to cut waiting times and ease pressure on staff.
Alongside the technology, the trust points to one factor above all: how Barnsley and Accurx worked together.
How did Barnsley’s digital team drive AI scribe adoption?
The trust points to its Digital Training and Engagement team, led by Claire Bowell and Richard Green, as the single biggest factor in the pilot’s success.
The team sat inside the pilot as active partners. They ran onboarding sessions, answered medical record system questions in real time and owned training delivery alongside the Accurx teams.
That presence opened a feedback channel no outside supplier can reach. Clinicians will flag a problem to a trust colleague passing through clinic far more readily than to a supplier on a scheduled call. Small issues came to light early, and teams fixed them early.
“Clinicians continue to report that accuracy is working well, and they feel Accurx AVT has been a valuable option to support the service they provide, particularly in maintaining timely documentation.”
Claire Bowell, Digital Training and Engagement Manager, Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
What can other NHS trusts learn from Barnsley?
Run Train-the-Trainer sessions with your digital team. Accurx ran Train-the-Trainer sessions with Claire before go-live, which built her confidence and a library of answers. She then trained clinicians herself, with the credibility of a trust colleague rather than an outside supplier.
Turn admin teams into Scribe champions. Looking back, the trust would involve secretaries from the outset, as trainers and first-line support. That would bring those teams on the journey and make them the most trusted voices for embedding Scribe.
Look for organic champions beyond the clinical leads. At Barnsley, digitally hesitant colleagues became advocates after a single clinic session. The trust suggests spotting these people early through usage data and involving them in peer-to-peer communications.
Plan onsite support from both sides. Agree onsite days upfront and make sure your digital team has the resource for hands-on cover during rollout. Where Accurx onsite support is available, coordinating it with your own team can speed up adoption. At one site, this approach onboarded 50 per cent of a cohort in the first four days.
What does the Barnsley model need in place?
The trust says the model matters more than the headcount. If these five things are in place, the Barnsley blueprint is within reach for other trusts:
A named contact in your digital or transformation team, with protected time
A clinical champion and admin team involvement from week one
Openness to Train-the-Trainer delivery
A shared evaluation framework (Accurx uses the HIN T.E.S.T. framework) [confirm expansion]
Willingness to co-own the standard operating procedure (SOP)
“It works like magic.”
Richard Jenkins, Chief Executive Officer, Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
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