TORTUS

NHS Problem

With over 7.6 million cases on the waiting list for hospital treatment (as of August 2024), it has become a national priority to cut NHS waiting times and return to NHS performance standards (an 18-week target for hospital care and four-hour A&E target). One of the unmentioned contributors to waiting times, is the administrative burden pre and post consultation, with over 60% of the clinician’s time spent on tasks such as patient documentation, coding, lab testing, referral letters etc. To reach the national ambition of 40,000 more appointments per week, whilst preventing clinician’s burnout, it is imperative to reduce clinician’s administrative time. TORTUS, an AI-driven solution that seamlessly integrates with current EHR systems, reduces clinical documentation by up to 25%, allowing clinicians across primary, secondary and tertiary care more time for direct patient interactions. 

The Solution

Founded by a team of doctors, software experts, and AI scientists, TORTUS was created to tackle the administrative load in healthcare that detracts from patient care. The company aims to empower clinicians by integrating AI into existing workflows to reduce administrative tasks. TORTUS automates the creation and updating of clinical notes and referral letters. Future developments will extend AI functionalities to aid in diagnostics and treatment optimization, promoting data interoperability across healthcare systems. This innovation seeks to elevate care quality and reduce clinician burnout within the NHS. 

Impact

TORTUS is revolutionising healthcare within the NHS by significantly enhancing clinical efficiency and documentation quality. Dr. Dave Triska from Witley Surgery heralds it as “a simple solution that yields big results for both doctors and patients… It’s a game-changer.” 

Research shows that TORTUS reduces consultation time by 25%, saving about three minutes per standard 12-minute session. This efficiency empowers clinicians to manage administrative tasks effectively, without sacrificing valuable patient interaction time. In a recent questionnaire clinicians across disciplines that used TORTUS in their practice felt they were able to provide their full attention to the patients and their families in the consultation, which is a 34% increase from when they didn’t have the tool. Additionally, TORTUS doubles the quality of clinical documentation, ensuring more accurate patient care and heightened satisfaction. 

TORTUS is currently piloted in 6 secondary care hospitals and is already used by over 400 doctors across the country. TORTUS has now been used in over 12.5k consultations.