Willow, our digital assistant, is helping patients get answers faster

Willow is our online digital assistant. You'll find it on our website, where it can answer common questions, point you to the right service and help you get things done without waiting on the phone.

How patients are using Willow

Since launching, Willow has handled thousands of patient conversations, and use has grown month on month. In the most recent month alone, patients started more than twice as many conversations as the month before.

The most common reasons patients use Willow are:

• Appointments — by far the most common request
• Asking a general question about our services
• Sick notes and fit notes
• Prescriptions and repeat medication queries
• Help using the NHS App
• Test results and referral queries

What this means for you

Every query answered online is one less call in the queue. Thousands of contacts have been resolved digitally, which means shorter waits on the phone for patients who need to speak to someone directly.

Willow is available at any time of day, and it can also support conversations in other languages, making our services easier to access for more of our community.

How we're improving it

We regularly review the types of questions patients ask so we can improve the answers Willow gives and update the information on our website. Where Willow cannot help, it will always point you to the right team.

Important things to know

Willow is not a clinical service and cannot give medical advice or a diagnosis. If you need urgent medical help, contact NHS 111. In an emergency, call 999.

Please do not use Willow to share detailed personal medical information. For anything clinical, contact your practice directly.

Try Willow now