University Hospitals Sussex cuts patient call wait times by 90% as AI supports call staff

27^th April 2026 – University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust has transformed how patients access appointment support, cutting call wait times from more than 30 minutes to under three. The improvement follows the introduction of AI-powered automation technology from Netcall alongside call staff, designed to make it easier for patients to get answers, manage appointments, and reach the right teams, whilst freeing up staff time to support patients who need more in-depth or direct assistance.

To improve patient access and outcomes, the Trust introduced an AI Virtual Assistant from Netcall’s conversational AI and intelligent call routing platform, alongside Netcall’s Patient Engagement Portal and Waiting List Validation solution. The AI Assistant understands patient requests in natural language and can answer common questions, support self-service tasks such as appointment changes, or route patients to the right teams. Patients can still speak to staff when needed, but many queries can be resolved immediately. As a result, 36% of calls are diverted from the booking centre, meaning 1,500 patient queries can be resolved each day without long waits.

Since launching the service, the patient experience has improved significantly. Call abandonment has fallen by 75%, while digital engagement has reached 86%, showing that many patients are choosing faster self-service options when their query can be resolved straight away.

Alongside the AI Virtual Assistant, Netcall’s Patient Engagement Portal (Patient Hub) digitises appointment communications and supports waiting list validation. The Trust can now seamlessly attach information leaflets to appointments, helping patients better understand upcoming procedures and how to prepare. By providing answers to common questions in advance, patients have the information they need at their fingertips without needing to call the booking centre.

As with any new digital service, patient data and security were central to the build and implementation. Netcall’s solutions undergo rigorous clinical safety and data privacy checks to meet NHS standards, with all integrations following strict governance and security requirements to ensure patient information is handled safely.  To protect confidentiality, Patient Hub uses two-factor authentication, requiring patients to enter their details and a unique six-digit code sent to their device or email before accessing appointment information.

This focus on security has helped build patient trust and encourage uptake of digital services. As a result of the technology, Did not attend (DNA) rates now hover at around 4%, and around 200 appointments are rebooked or cancelled daily via self-service, reducing inbound demand further and freeing up capacity for patients who need direct support.

Weekly appointment validation campaigns are also sent to around 4,000 patients, resulting in a waiting list reduction of 12%, enabling clinical teams to prioritise patients who still require treatment. To streamline and simplify communications further, the Trust now operates a single phone number for all patients and is implementing a multi-language AI chatbot to better serve its diverse population. Together, these changes are making it easier for patients to manage appointments, get answers quickly, and access the right support when they need it.

Alongside improvements in access and waiting list accuracy, the transformation has delivered measurable operational efficiencies. Monthly SMS costs have reduced by 45% following integration with the NHS App, with further savings expected as digital communications expand. The initiative has also saved more than 266 hours of manual administrative time each week, allowing teams to focus on patient care.

Commenting on the transformation project, John Clarke, Head of Healthcare Solutions at Netcall, said, “University Hospitals Sussex has demonstrated what is possible when AI-powered automation is deployed. By dramatically reducing wait times, cutting abandonment rates, and enabling patients to manage their appointments digitally, the Trust has made accessing care simpler and more convenient, while giving staff back valuable time to focus on more complex patient queries. It shows how intelligent automation can strengthen both patient experience and operational resilience at scale.”