Rotherham NHS FT cuts IT help desk calls by 28% with AI

The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust has reduced IT help desk call volumes by 28% after introducing an AI-powered autonomous agent.

The agent resolves routine queries in real time, raises service tickets automatically, and guides staff to the right channel of support. The approach is helping staff get faster access to support while ensuring IT teams can focus on more complex issues.

Working with Netcall, the trust introduced the AI autonomous agent on 28 January 2026 through its Liberty Converse solution, creating a first-line support route for routine IT queries that triages demand before it reaches the service desk.

Christine Hazlehurst, head of IT service management and support services at The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Like many NHS teams, we were seeing rising demand for IT support without the ability to increase headcount, and most staff still turned to the phone out of habit.

“By focusing on our most common issues first, we saw results quickly. Feedback from both our team and users has been extremely positive, and the ongoing support continues to help us improve.”

The system uses generative and agentic AI to interpret user requests before retrieving relevant information from internal systems and troubleshooting guidance without team intervention.

The bot identifies the caller’s issue and guides them to the right outcome, whether by resolving the problem immediately or directing them to the appropriate support channel.

Responses are then delivered in real time in a conversational and efficient format, giving staff accurate guidance aligned with the trust’s IT processes.

Where needed, the system also raises pre-populated IT service tickets, with the correct categorisation and context, ready for IT action, further reducing manual effort for IT teams and allowing them to focus on more complex issues.

James Rawlinson, director of health informatics at The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, added: “By analysing real interactions as they happen, we can continuously improve the virtual assistant. This allows us to refine accuracy, expand coverage, and enhance the user experience every day.”

The trust said 41% of IT queries are now handled via self-service and AI agents, reducing pressure on phone lines and enabling IT teams to focus on more complex issues.

Building on this success, the trust is entering into a second phase focused on out-of-hours support. In the future, the aim is for the autonomous agent to help resolve or redirect non-urgent requests, ensuring that only priority incidents reach on-call teams.

The trust expects this to reduce unnecessary out-of-hours callouts, which can incur additional staffing costs.

It will also improve the experience for IT staff, reducing avoidable disruptions and allowing teams to focus on priority incidents.

John Clarke, head of client solutions – health at Netcall, said: “In a health system where workforce pressure is the defining challenge, Rotherham’s use of an autonomous agent for internal support marks an important shift.

“By applying a technology more commonly associated with patient engagement to internal NHS teams, the trust demonstrates how agentic AI can be used to protect staff capacity, reduce reliance on traditional channels, and modernise how support services operate.”