Mental health trust chooses EBO’s conversational AI technology for digital patient experience – Med-Tech Innovation

Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, in collaboration with The Access Group, is set to roll out EBO’s 2nd generation Intelligent Patient Portal (IPP) that will deliver a patient-centric experience with AI-powered two-way conversation. EBO will support the trust to automate patient facing processes end-to-end to improve care, increase staff productivity and reduce operational costs.  A further four trusts are expected to follow suit shortly.

The move is designed to address the low level of patient adoption in traditional portals and their lack of patient engagement, therefore failing to deliver a return on investment for the NHS. A combination of an AI Virtual Assistant and comprehensive portal functionality will connect with patients in a richer and more meaningful way, enabling conversational engagement with empathy.

Integrating seamlessly with the NHS login method, the innovative use of conversational AI will empower greater access and enable patients to take an active role in their care – allowing them to feel seen, heard, valued and most importantly, informed. Chatbot applications typically rely on limited rule-based approaches or pre-defined scripts. However, EBO’s IPP includes unique Natural Language Processing (NLP) and language recognition that will provide the trust with the ability to interact in two-way natural communication that is indistinguishable from human conversation.

The portal also provides an intuitive user interface, available 24/7 on all devices, in over 100 languages.  The mental health trust will meet anticipated NHS Patient Portal requirement enabling patients to manage appointments, view letters and guidance, complete self-assessments, questionnaires, and provide consent. This will in turn help to reduce surging call volumes, extensive waiting lists and did not attends (DNAs). 

Dr Mark Worthington, Chief Clinical Information Officer (CCIO) at Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, commented: “We are excited to partner with EBO to radically transform our approach to patient engagement and involvement. Their patient portal provides leading AI-powered functionality and EBO has demonstrated that it will meet our requirements for integration, automation, security and design. The use of AI within the NHS is increasing, and we are only just starting to realise the benefits it can deliver. 

“As an organisation we are committed to adopting technology that improves our service and health outcomes.”EBO’s patient-facing AI-powered solutions are being successfully used across other areas of the NHS, such as community trusts, to build closer patient connections.  The solution’s intuitive user experience, 24/7 availability, quick verification, and ability to communicate with patients in over 100 languages is breaking down healthcare barriers and acting as a digital front door to patients. Catering to diverse healthcare environments, EBO’s technology Integrates seamlessly with multiple EPRs directly or as a layer on top of existing traditional portals.”

Dr Gege Gatt, CEO of EBO, said: “The era of static, impersonal patient portals is ending. The next frontier is a healthcare revolution where technology does more than process requests—it understands and empathises. We are delighted to be partnering with Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust to develop richer, more personalised and unified patient experiences. 

“As a leading AI patient engagement solution partner for the NHS, we are focused on supporting healthcare providers to drive patient engagement strategies forward with safe, game-changing technology. Using the intelligent patient portal as their digital front door is going to provide the solid foundation needed to create richer and more responsive patient journeys that will contribute to better patient outcomes and ultimately better patient health. The trust’s vision of a single, unified patient experience is clear. NHS App support tethers the approach to national directives. The future is very positive.”