Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust has reduced IT help desk call volumes by 28% after introducing an AI-powered autonomous agent that 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 through its Liberty Converse solution, creating a new first line of support for routine IT queries that triages demand before it reaches the service desk.
Unlike standard rules-based answer engines, it uses generative and agentic AI to intelligently interpret user intent before automatically retrieving relevant information from internal systems or troubleshooting steps without team intervention.
This means increased accuracy at the point of resolution, as the bot understands the caller’s issue and guides them to the right outcome, whether that is resolving the problem immediately or directing them to the appropriate support channel.
Resolutions are then delivered in real-time, and in a more conversational, efficient, and meaningful way, giving staff consistent, accurate guidance aligned with the Trust’s IT processes. Where needed, the system also raises fully 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 the issues that need their expertise.
The impact has been immediate. 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, high-value issues.
Christine Hazlehurst, Head of IT Service Management and Support Services at The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, says: “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.”
By targeting the areas of highest demand, Rotherham has reduced pressure on its IT teams while improving access to support for staff across the Trust. It shows how automation can be used in practice to handle routine queries more efficiently, while ensuring human support remains focused where it adds most value.
What makes the deployment distinctive is how the Trust operates it. Rather than configuring the agent once and leaving it static, the team runs continuous observe–learn–improve cycles on live staff interactions, using Liberty Converse’s autonomous agent reporting to refine accuracy, expand coverage and improve the user experience in real-time.
James Rawlinson, Director of Health Informatics at The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, adds: “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.”
As NHS Trusts face rising demand for digital support with no corresponding increase in headcount, Rotherham’s approach offers a practical model for how agentic AI can absorb routine workload at scale, while ensuring human expertise is deployed where it matters most.
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. This is expected to reduce unnecessary out-of-hours callouts, where even short interactions incur premium pay rates, creating a clear cost-saving opportunity. It will also improve the experience for IT staff, reducing avoidable disruptions and allowing teams to focus on the issues that genuinely require their attention.
John Clarke, Head of Client Solutions – Health at Netcall, says: “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.”
