AI Notetaking at Your Appointment

The Trust is currently piloting brand-new technology to support notetaking at your appointment. This means you may be attending a clinic that uses an AI notetaking tool called Lyrebird.

As this is a pilot, we will be testing and evaluating the tool carefully before deciding whether to use it more widely. The pilot is taking place in Trauma & Orthopaedics and Diabetes outpatient clinics.

What is the AI notetaker?

Lyrebird is an AI-powered tool that listens to the conversation between you and your clinician during your appointment. It uses that conversation to automatically write a draft of your clinic letter or consultation notes in real time.

You may already have come across similar technology, voice commands on your phone, or smart home devices like Alexa. Lyrebird is a specialist medical version, built specifically for clinical use and registered as a medical device with the NHS.

What will happen at my appointment?

If your clinician is using Lyrebird, your appointment will run in the same way as usual. The main difference you may notice is that your clinician is less focused on typing or writing, and more focused on you.

A microphone on the computer or a small device in the room will pick up the conversation. At the end of your appointment, Lyrebird will have produced a draft letter or note based on what was discussed.

Your clinician checks everything

Before anything is saved to your record or sent to your GP, your clinician reads through the draft, makes any changes needed, and approves it. A computer does not make decisions about your care, your clinician is always in charge.

One of the things we are hoping this technology will help with over time is reducing the wait for clinic letters. Because the draft is produced during the appointment rather than dictated and typed up afterwards, it removes one of the steps that currently causes delays. We cannot promise a specific timeframe, but improving letter turnaround for patients is one of the goals of this pilot.

Is my information safe?

We take your privacy very seriously. Here is what you need to know:

• The audio of your conversation is used only to generate your notes. Once the draft is complete and approved, the audio is automatically and permanently deleted. It is not stored or kept.
• Lyrebird is a UK-based medical tool that meets NHS data protection standards and complies with UK GDPR. It is registered as a medical device with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
• Your information is processed in a secure environment. It is not used to train AI systems, shared with third parties, or used for any purpose other than generating your clinical notes.
• Lyrebird has passed a full Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) as required by NHS information governance standards.

Can I say no, and will it affect my care?

You are in control!

You do not have to agree to Lyrebird being used at your appointment. Your clinician will ask for your permission before the tool is switched on.

Saying no will not affect your care in any way. You will receive exactly the same treatment and attention. Your clinician will take notes in the usual way instead.

You can also change your mind during the appointment. If at any point you would like the tool to be switched off, just tell your clinician and they will stop it immediately.

You will be asked to give your permission at each appointment. If you say yes at one visit, this does not mean you have agreed for all future visits.

This is a pilot — what does that mean for me?

Lyrebird is currently being piloted at MWL, meaning we are testing and evaluating it carefully before deciding whether to use it more widely. This pilot is taking place in Trauma & Orthopaedics and Diabetes outpatient clinics.

The pilot is being run in line with NHS guidelines on the use of AI in clinical settings, including national guidance from NHS England. All the usual standards for patient safety, data protection, and clinical oversight apply in full.

Running the pilot does not change your rights or the standard of care you receive. The only difference from a routine appointment is that you will be asked whether you are happy for the tool to be used, and you may be asked for your feedback afterwards.

Helping us to learn: sharing your experience

Because this is a pilot, understanding how it works for patients is important to us. After your appointment, you may be asked to complete a short survey or answer a few questions about your experience, things like whether your consultation felt different, and whether you were comfortable with the technology.

Taking part in the survey is entirely your choice

Completing the survey, or choosing not to, has no effect on your care and is completely separate from your decision about whether to use the AI notetaker itself. There are no wrong answers, and all responses are used only to help us evaluate the pilot fairly.

Your voice matters to us. Patient experience is one of the things we are formally measuring as part of this evaluation, and honest feedback, positive or otherwise, will help shape how this technology is used in the future.

Questions or concerns

If you have questions about Lyrebird or how your information is used, please speak to your clinical team. You can also contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS):

• PALS — Southport & Ormskirk site: 01704 704703
• PALS — St Helens & Knowsley site: 0151 676 5737
• Email: mwl.pals@nhs.net

For information about how the Trust collects and uses your personal data, including in relation to digital tools, please visit our website or ask a member of staff for a copy of our Privacy Notice.