Healthwatch Rotherham, a local health and social care watchdog, has raised concerns about the implementation of an AI receptionist system called Emma at general practice surgeries in the South Yorkshire area. The watchdog reported receiving multiple accounts from patients who found the system unable to comprehend their local accents during phone interactions.
Kym Gleeson, manager of Healthwatch Rotherham, explained to the BBC that the AI system has difficulty understanding inquiries from callers with broad Yorkshire accents, particularly given the significant variation in speech patterns across South Yorkshire. This communication barrier has resulted in patient frustration, with some individuals abandoning attempts to book appointments through the automated system entirely.
The Emma system is designed to answer patient calls automatically, aiming to eliminate lengthy telephone wait times that are common at GP surgeries across the UK. However, feedback gathered from groups representing older people and veterans indicated that users faced challenges navigating the technology. Some frustrated patients reportedly felt compelled to travel to their surgery in person rather than persisting with the phone system.
Healthwatch emphasized particular concerns regarding the system’s accessibility for older individuals and those less comfortable with digital technology, as well as people with disabilities. The watchdog noted that GP practices retain a legal obligation to provide reasonable adjustments for patients who require them and encouraged those experiencing difficulties to ask about alternative service access methods.
QuantumLoopAI, the company operating the Emma system, stated that the technology was designed to recognize various dialects and support 17 languages alongside English. The company indicated that callers can be transferred to human staff members when the system cannot fulfill requests and that no caller is obligated to continue using the automated service.
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