On Tuesday 7th October 2025, CoDE welcomed Dr Harsha Perera, Consultant Microbiologist at Public Health Wales, for a focused visit exploring how Clinical AI Scribes (CAIS) can support clinical microbiology services.
Dr Perera was given a tour of CoDE’s three core simulated environments: the GP back-office, GP surgery with waiting and consultation rooms, and the domestic setting that replicates a home or care home. Following this, Professor Janice Kiely (UWE) extended the visit with a broader introduction to the innovative projects within the Health Tech Hub.
During the visit, Dr Benjamin Johns, NHS England’s Clinical Scientist and Senior Project Manager at CoDE, presented recent CoDE outputs including the CoDE AVT Report the CoDE’s peer-reviewed journal articles on the Impact of acoustic and informational noise on AI-generated clinical summaries and Clinical AI Scribes in primary care: accuracy, error severity and implications for clinical practice.
To demonstrate the practical application of a CAIS, Dr Perera took part in a role play exercise as the clinician, with Dr Johns as the patient. Together they reviewed the generated consultation notes, highlighting both the significant time savings achievable and the continued need for clinical oversight before integration into medical records.
Reflecting on the visit, Dr Perera reflected on the potential value of CAIS in supporting microbiology’s 24/7 on-call service. He noted that the work at CoDE demonstrates “the strong potential to support and improve clinical microbiology settings,” adding that CAIS could help relieve operational pressures and contribute to more resilient and efficient services.
CoDE is currently considering the application of emerging digital technologies across a wide range of specialities and clinical settings.
