NHS AI receptionist in Rotherham struggles with Yorkshire accents, frustrating patients

NHS patients in Rotherham are experiencing stress and frustration with a new AI receptionist, Emma, which struggles to understand regional Yorkshire accents at GP surgeries. The system was rolled out to reduce queues and save money. Healthwatch Rotherham, an independent watchdog, reported that patients with broad accents or speech impediments are being forced to visit surgeries in person. Manager Kym Gleeson noted the system fails to understand inquiries, causing particular difficulty for elderly and vulnerable patients. Developer QuantumLoopAI said Emma supports 17 languages and transfers calls to staff if unable to understand, adding that over 90% of patients reported the system as an improvement. Patients can opt out of using the bot.