Learning from our NHS Intelligent Automation journey
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is sharing how we are using Intelligent Automation and the Microsoft Power Platform to reduce manual administration, improve data quality and release staff time. This site is designed for NHS colleagues who want to understand our approach, the tools we use, the governance we apply, and the lessons we have learned.
Automation in the NHS | Berkshire Healthcare
Starting it journey in 2021, Berkshire Healthcare uses Automation to better support patients, reduce avoidable administration, improve data quality and support better use of staff time. Our automations are described as robots, they follow agreed rules, complete repeatable tasks, work 24 hours a day everyday and help services manage routine work more consistently.
Automation does not replace clinical judgement. It supports staff by handling administrative work where the process is clear, the risks are understood and the benefits can be evidenced.
What Automation helps with
Our programme supports clinical and corporate services with work such as:
- referral processing
- discharge processing
- financial processing
- waitlist management
- data checking
- record updates
- document handling
- patient notifications
- routine administration
- high-volume repeatable processes
We use the Microsoft Power Platform and related Microsoft tools, including Power Automate, Power Apps, Dataverse, Power Pages and SharePoint.
Our current direction
The programme has moved well beyond the proof of concept stage and is now an established digital productivity service delivering measurable benefits across the organisation. Our focus is increasingly on large scale pathway transformation, improving data quality, strengthening operational resilience, providing robust evidence of benefits realisation, and expanding the adoption of enterprise wide Smart Referrals as a strategic priority.
We are also preparing for a controlled transition towards agentic development. This involves the use of AI-assisted tools to support the design, development, documentation, testing, and optimisation of automations and digital solutions. Human oversight and accountability will remain central throughout the lifecycle, with all changes subject to established governance, assurance, and controlled release processes.
This approach enables us to increase productivity and innovation while maintaining the safety, compliance, and governance standards expected within the NHS.
Our main priorities are:
- improving referral and intake processes through Smart Referrals;
- reducing avoidable administration across high-volume pathways;
- improving data quality and consistency;
- strengthening reliability by moving away from brittle user-interface automation to API integration where available;
- evidencing benefits independently and clearly;
- improving resilience, support and break/fix arrangements;
- preparing the programme for safe, governed agentic development.
How we keep automation safe
Before any automation goes live, we assess the full process, including the data being used, key risks, service ownership, testing requirements, clinical safety considerations where applicable, information governance, and ongoing support arrangements.
Once live, each automation has clear ownership, monitoring, exception handling, and a defined route for reporting issues or requesting changes.
Automations move through a structured delivery lifecycle, including early testing, end-to-end testing, hypercare, and then transition into business as usual. Progression between each stage is controlled through governance checks, with clear entry and exit criteria to confirm that the automation is safe, stable, supported, and ready to move forward.