GP notes are in the robot

THREE robot “medical secretaries” are processing GP referrals at an NHS hospital trust.

The software reads the patient notes, adds data and creates a file for a doctor at Ipswich Hospital.

Darren Atkins, from East Suffolk and North Essex trust, said time taken to process each referral has been cut from 15-20 minutes to five minutes.

The robots are set to save £220,000 by July 2019. Mr Atkins said: “We’re delighted with the results.”