Microsoft Dragon Copilot lands at the NHS

On 4 September 2025, Microsoft formally launched Dragon Copilot in the UK healthcare market via the NHS. This marks a significant step in bringing advanced AI driven clinical workflow tools into everyday NHS settings, and it comes at a time when the pressure on clinician time, documentation burden and operational efficiency has never been greater.

As a UK based IT services business serving the public sector, HybrIT is perfectly placed to help NHS Trusts and wider health systems adopt Dragon Copilot through the DWS2 framework via NHS SBS Services. HybrIT is appointed to the DWS2 framework and can support from early adoption planning through integration, change management and optimisation.

Here is a look at what Dragon Copilot brings to the table, why it matters for the NHS, and how HybrIT can partner to make it work.

What is Dragon Copilot

Dragon Copilot is a purpose built AI assistant for clinical workflows, combining multiple technologies into one platform.

Here are the standout features:

Ambient conversation capture: The system can “listen” to clinician and patient conversations with appropriate consent and safeguards and start building the clinical note from what is said.

High quality speech recognition and dictation: Built on the legacy of Dragon Medical One, it provides natural language voice dictation tailored for healthcare environments.

Generative AI for documentation: The tool can draft letters, orders, after visit summaries and other routine output using fine tuned clinical AI.

Customisable texts and templates: Organisations can define their own templates and text structures so the AI generated output fits local formats.

Healthcare specific safeguards: Given the regulatory and safety demands of clinical data, Dragon Copilot is registered in the UK and Ireland as a Class 1 medical device with the MHRA.

Integration and ecosystem support: As part of the Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare, it can integrate via Microsoft’s healthcare ecosystem and partner network.

Why it is so good for the NHS

Bringing Dragon Copilot into NHS environments can deliver a number of benefits:

Reducing administrative burden on clinicians

By automating aspects of documentation and note taking, clinicians can spend less time typing and more time with patients. As an Emergency Physician in a NHS Trust testing the system noted: “I spend a lot of time speaking to patients … Without ambient, I have to go back to the desk and type … With ambient, I get back and there it is.”

Improving documentation quality and timeliness

Because the system captures conversation closer to the point of care and uses AI to structure documentation, it can help with both accuracy and speed of note completion, reducing delays and possibly improving coding, referrals and clinical handovers.

Supporting patient and clinician interaction

With less emphasis on screen driven note taking, clinicians can engage more naturally with patients, improving the experience and potentially outcomes.

Operational efficiency and cost impact

Streamlined workflows and fewer back office tasks can free up clinical time, lowering costs or enabling more capacity.

Aligned with NHS digital and AI ambitions

The NHS is under strong pressure to adopt digital transformation, improve workforce wellbeing, and manage backlog and demand. A tool like Dragon Copilot aligns with these targets and supports the move to an empowered workforce.

Looking ahead

With the recent launch in the UK, NHS organisations now have access to a mature, purpose built AI assistant for clinical workflows. Early adopter NHS Trusts have already been part of private preview programs.

For those organisations yet to begin, HybrIT stands ready to guide them from strategy through to successful go live, utilising our place on the DWS2 framework and our proven IT services model.

If you would like to explore what Dragon Copilot could mean for your organisation, how to build the business case, plan implementation or manage change, HybrIT can help you start the journey.

Public sector organisations can now access HybrIT’s services directly through the DWS 2 framework. To discuss how we can support your digital initiatives, contact our public sector team today.