Asa – AI receptionist

Asa, by SPRYT, is an AI receptionist that enables patients to book, cancel or reschedule their medical appointment via WhatsApp in their preferred language, at any time. 

Asa reassures patients, answers non-diagnostic questions, predicts no-shows and uses behavioural science and generative AI to tailor communication, improving equitable access and appointment attendance. It can send voice messages in a patients’ recorded language to improve uptake among those with poor literacy or limited English. Dynamic reminders help patients confirm or reschedule appointments easily. 

Work in North Central London (NCL) with UCL Partners and ongoing support and funding from Health innovation East has contributed towards tremendous result, show potential for NHS budget savings and facilitated economic growth. 

By leveraging AI and behavioural science, Asa improves healthcare accessibility, addresses inequalities, and optimises NHS resources. 

Asa in practice – increasing cervical screening rates

99.8% of cervical cancer cases are preventable or treatable if diagnosed early (Cancer Research UK, 2021).  

However, screening attendance is falling; as low as one in two young women miss their screening appointment in NCL (NCL Cancer Screening Inequality Analysis, Camden, Jan 2022).  

Factors such as misconceptions about the purpose of screening, fear, embarrassment, language, literacy barriers, missed appointment invitations and difficulty accessing GP practices hinder engagement and screening uptake (Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, 2020). 

Diverse population: In NCL, lack of uptake of cervical screening is particularly acute in some underserved populations with a less than 10% response rate to cervical screening invitations (IGPF, 2024). NCL has an ethnically diverse resident population of approximately 1.7 million people, with a relatively young population compared to the London average. Around 25% of people do not have English as their main language.  

Transient population: NCL’s is transient population leads to frequent relocations causing missed appointment letters, but WhatsApp numbers typically remain unchanged (IGPF, SPRYT-Research). 

Existing approach: The current call/recall process in NCL is a paper invitation followed by a one directional text with a time limited link to a patient portal to schedule an appointment. This process is inconvenient for patients and GP practices (SPRYT-Research). GP practice access is a significant barrier to the successful delivery of cervical cancer screening programmes (Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, 2020). 

Admin strain on managing call/recall: GP practices face significant patient demand, which is exacerbated by shortfalls in healthcare and support staff (BMA 2023, Agarwal 2020). Managing the call/recall system is a burden for the already strained medical reception (>36 hours/week for the admin team at Clerkenwell Medical Practice).  

Initial impact of evaluation

• 160% increase in booking conversion rate: Invite to appointment booking from Asa invitation message increased from 10% to 26% vs SMS.
• 15% bookings occurred outside regular hours, highlighting patients’ strong desire for greater control over their health at their convenience. 
• Reducing administrative workload, by saving over 8 hours per week per GP practice by decreasing inbound and outbound calls for appointment scheduling – this equates to an approximate saving of £5,000 – £6,000 per practice per year. 
• Asa has led to a 30% reduction in communication costs compared with traditional SMS-based appointment reminders. On average, GP practices spend £10,000–£15,000 per year on SMS and administrative reminders. A 30% reduction translates to an estimated annual saving of £3,000–£4,500 per practice (SPRYT Research, 2024).