How AI is transforming access to preventative healthcare

Guest blog by David O’Hara, Digital Transformation Lead at Reed in Partnership

Digital innovation is increasingly recognised as a cornerstone of modern public service delivery. Nowhere is this more evident than in preventative healthcare, where technology can reduce pressure on overstretched systems while improving outcomes at scale.

New evidence from our delivery of the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme (NDPP) demonstrates how embedding AI within frontline operations can deliver measurable impact across waiting times, access and efficiency.

Reed in Partnership’s subsidiary health and wellbeing company, Reed Wellbeing, has delivered the NDPP for more than 10 years. The service supports people diagnosed with prediabetes to make long-term health improvements and reduce their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

Reducing waiting times

At the heart of this transformation is a shift to proactive, digitally enabled engagement. By integrating an AI agent into our Contact Centre, we have redesigned the early stages of our participant journey. Rather than waiting for individuals to respond to outreach, the system initiates personalised contact via SMS and email immediately following GP referral.

This has delivered significant reductions in waiting times. The average time from referral to initial assessment has fallen from 13 days to seven, while overall time to programme start has reduced by eight days. For a condition like prediabetes, affecting an estimated 6.3 million people in the UK, this acceleration is critical. Early intervention reduces the risk of progression to Type 2 diabetes and improves long-term health outcomes.

Improving access

Speed alone is not enough. A key principle of this model is improving access by making services more responsive and easier to navigate. The AI-enabled system provides participants with tailored information about local and digital programmes, alongside clear next steps and the option to connect with a human adviser. This combination of automation and choice ensures accessibility without sacrificing personalisation.

The results are clear. The proportion of referred individuals taking the first step into the programme has risen significantly, with targeted messaging alone delivering a 6% uplift in response rates during trial phases. Crucially, this impact is consistent across regions, including areas with high levels of deprivation, demonstrating the role of digital tools in addressing health inequalities.

Increasing efficiency

One of the most compelling outcomes is the link between operational efficiency and measurable participant engagement. Automating routine communication has reduced low-value demand, with call volumes falling from 812 to 430 per staff member per month. At the same time, the number of initial assessments – the first step in every NDPP participant’s journey - increased from 14 to 20 per day per adviser. This illustrates a key principle for the tech sector: AI tools deliver greatest value when they free human capacity for higher-value work.

The model has also shifted the nature of engagement. Inbound calls now represent 68% of total volume, up from 39%, reflecting a more participant-led system where individuals engage on their own terms. For service designers, this is a powerful example of how digital channels can rebalance interaction models and transform the participant experience, moving from persistence-driven outreach to demand-driven engagement.

Importantly, this is not a story of automation replacing people. By removing repetitive administrative tasks and unsuccessful contact attempts, frontline teams can focus on meaningful, person-centred conversations that support lasting behaviour change.

The results

For the tech sector, the implications are significant. This case demonstrates that well-designed AI solutions, embedded thoughtfully into operational workflows, can deliver tangible public value. As health systems seek to shift towards prevention, scalable, human-centred digital innovation will be critical to achieving sustainable impact.

The evidence and outcomes highlighted throughout this blog are explored in full in our report: ‘From Call to Care: Addressing healthcare priorities through contact centre excellence’

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