KPMGHealthcare sector:The Future of Al and the WorkforceImpact of GenerativeAl on Healthcare jobsReleasing time to careMay 2025Healthcare sector.The Future of Al and the WorkforceForewordIn recent months,the sudden and very publicOur work provides valuable insight into theinterest in generative Artificial Intelligence(Al)hasopportunities for Gen Al and where LTHT might focussparked immense debate about the broader goodits resources for the biggest benefit.A key exampleand potential risks that Al and Machine Learningis automating routine administrative tasks,such ascan bring to society and the economy.From overallscheduling,data entry,and drafting,with Gen Alquestions of ethics and governance to sector-freeing up valuable time for healthcare providersspecific applications for innovative new use cases,We hope this automation reduces the ad ministrativethere are a number of countries vying to be globalload,allowing our doctors,nurses,and alliedleaders in this transformational new technology.healthcare colleagues to spend more time on patientcare,rather than paperwork.Over the next threeUnderstanding the potential benefits of Gen Al,months we aim to further develop our understandingwhere these benefits might be the greatest,how itof the real-life benefits of Gen Al working with clinicianswill transform how people work,and how it can helpand staffto develop specific use cases in specificaddress critical workforce shortages are allservices identified in this report.important questions.We anticipate that Gen Al will create new opportunitiesIn healthcare,Gen Al has the potential to performand job roles.Healthcare professionals will increasinglya range of activities currently carried out by staff,need expertise in managing and interpreting Gen Algiving them more time to spend with patients.Withtools,leading to a demand for skills in Gen Alcurrent estimates putting the global shortage of clinicalintegration,data analysis,and cybersecurity.Rolesstaff at 18 million,there is an obvious attractionin Gen Al oversight,ethics,and regulatory complianceof anything that might release time for careare also becoming crucial.However,healthcare organisations are large andDespite the many potential benefits of Gen Al,whichcomplex,raising the question of where they should startwe explore in this report,it is not a panacea for theto employ Gen Al first and where the greatest benefitworkforce crisis in healthcare.For many clinical roles,will be seen.For example,the National Health Servicethe number and mix of staff required to provide safe,(NHS)in England is a complex network of hundreds ofaccessible,high-quality services now and in the futureorganisations that jointly employ 1.5 million people inwill not change as a result of Gen Al.They will continueover 300 roles and professions.to be determined by other factors;such as saferstaffing guidelines,recommended ratios,whilst alsoThis report aims to provide an understandingensuring roles and team structure remain attractive.of the Gen Al's potential based on a comprehensiveassessment of the jobs and tasks performed by thestaff in Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust(LTHT).As faras we are aware,this is the most detailed assessmentof the Gen Al augmentation potential in healthcareundertaken anywhere in the world.We hope ourMichael Allenfindings will be of interest to individual NHS providersPartnerNHS England,the Department of Health and SocialCare,and hospitals across the world which,to a largeextent employ people doing similar roles.Together with LTHT we have started to develop ourJenny Lewisunderstanding of how and where there is an opportunityDirector of Human Resourcesto support the workforce by deploying Gen Al to helpand Organisational Developmentwith daily tasks.KPMGHealthcare sector:The Future of Al and the WorkforceContentsSection1:Section 2:Executive SummaryIntroductions and key findingsSection 3:Section4:The potential benefits of Gen Al forDetailed findings:Opportunities for Genthe workforceAl in the NHS37Section 5:Section6:What employers should consider toActions healthcare organisations need to take tomaximise the benefits of using Al in theirensure compliance with relevant legal andorganisationslegislative requirementsKPMGHealthcare sector:The Future of Al and the WorkforceGlossary of termsRobotic Process Automation(RPA):Deep Learning:Robotic Process Automation involves rule-basedA type of machine learning that uses artificial neuralautomation of straightforward workflow tasks suchnetworks with multiple layers to learn complex patternsas opening an email,data entry,or copying pastingfrom data.It is particularly effective for tasks such asdata.Al and RPA can work in tandem to automateimage recognition,natural language processing.more sophisticated and complex tasks.and machine translation.Artificial Intelligence (Al):Generative Al:A broad field encompassing the development ofA type of Al that can create new content,such as text,computer systems that can perform tasks typicallyimages,music,or code,based on existing data.requiring human intelligence,such as learning.Examples include large language models (LLMs)problem-solving,and decision-making.and large image models(LIMs).Machine Learning(ML):Large Language Models(LLMs):A type of Al that allows computers to learn from dataA type of Al trained on massive amounts of text data,without being explicitly programmed.It involvesenabling it to generate human-quality text,translatealgorithms that can identify patterns in data and makelanguages,interpret information,write different kindspredictions based on those patterns.of content,and answer questions.LLMs are createdNeural Networks:using deep learning.Large Image Models(LIMs):A type of machine learning model inspired by thestructure and function of the human brain.They consistA type of Al trained on massive amounts of image dataof interconnected nodes or "neurons"that processenabling it to generate realistic images,edit existinginformation and learn from data.images,and understand the content of images.LIMsare created using deep learning.KPMGSection1:Executive SummaryHealthcare sector:The Future of Al and the WorkforceGen Al and Healthcare workforceIn today's rapidly evolving healthcare landscape,the adoption of Gen Al has the potential for significant benefitbut this needs to be much better understood.Our journey into this innovative technology began with a vision:to empower healthcare professionals with enhanced time for patient care,improve decision-making,and improvepatient outcomes.To identify the potential of Gen Al for the healthcare workforce,and,thereupon,designand deploy a fit-for-purpose Gen Al solution,we adopted the following process.We worked with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to analyse 134 roles across 16,000 employees.This exploratory assessment revealed that up to 24%of the tasks or sub-tasks might potentially be augmentedby Gen Al providing the Trust with a heatmap of areas of focus and opportunity134rolesemployeesThe potential benefits identified through our work to date are a promising indicator of the transformativeimpact this technology could have in hospitals.In practice the benefits will be much smaller,both because itwill not be cost effective to deploy Gen Al in all roles or for all use cases and because the time and expertiserequired to develop and deploy it is limited.Where our work to date is most useful is in guiding and informingwhere the greatest benefits should be seen so that work to develop specific use cases can be targeted.324%Gen AlcapabilitesopportunityIn our exploration of Gen Al's potential,we identified three key capabilities-data interpretationsummarising information,and content creation-that stand out as offering the most potential benefit.Focusing on these three uses in specific roles and functions the next phase of our work will be to developspecific use cases in conjunction with the people who really understand the work,the staff and clinicalteams doing the work.We are here3NHSGenAldeploymentuse casesTo capitalise on these capabilities,we selected three specific use cases (as detailed in the report)for pilotimplementation.By piloting these use cases,we aim to evaluate the effectiveness of Gen Al in real-worldapplications,paving the way for broader integration across the organisation.KPMGSection2:Introductionsand key findingsHealthcare sector:The Future of Al and the WorkforceGenerative Al and HealthcareGen Al has become an important consideration,We are exploring the potential to lighten thecreating endless possibilities to change the wayburden placed on colleagues and leverage newhealth and care are delivered.While it continuesdevelopments in Generative Al to enhance the wayto be the headline topic for many,putting Gen Alwork is done,freeing up time for better and moreinto action and its impact on the workforceremain speculative.the quality of delivery and enhanced productivity todrive growth overall.The purpose of this report is to take a closer look atthe potential benefits of generative Al in a typical NHSThe advancements of Gen Al create an excitinghospital employing 22,000 WTE staff working innew stage in the digital revolution.It is here to bringpatient-facing roles,clinical support services,andmany benefits to employers,employees,andcorporate services.There are multiple reports in thecustomers,through determining the scope and paceliterature of hospitals using applied neural networks toof workforce transformation.accelerate image recognition in radiology andhistopathology,but few on the wider use of generativeThe global healthcare sector is navigating aAl.Our work seeks to address this gap in our collectivecomplex landscape marked by finite resourcesknowledge based on a detailed assessment of therising demand,workforce shortages,and financialtasks performed by different staff,the time spent onpressures.However,advancements in technologyeach activity,and the degree to which these tasks canand ongoing modernisation offer hope for improvingbe augmented or automated by generative Al,usingcare and operational efficiency,providing a pathwayKPMG's leading Al Workforce methodologyto address current challenges and enhance theoverall healthcare experienceThe recent explosion of generative Al has,for the firsttime,seen knowledge work(work requiring an elementThis report looks to identify,assess and quantifyof thinking)automated.Until recently,this type of workthe opportunities for Gen Al in the hospitalwas thought to reside exclusively in the human domain.workforce and thereby support organisationsThere is,understandably,a degree ofunease aboutto focus their limited resources and budgetthe potential impact of generative Al.Yet over the lastin the right place for maximum gain.thirty years,comparable disruption has beenexperienced as a result of advancements in computingpower and-most importantly-the internet.Whilethese changes have reduced the demand for someskillsets,they have created vast and importantefficiencies and new roles.The impact of Gen Al on the Healthcare sector isparticularly exciting as it presents an opportunityto potentially address some of the workforcechallenges the growing sector is facing.Overall,the industry reports increasingly high workloadsand workforce shortages.KPMGHealthcare sector:The Future of Al and the WorkforceEmbracing Generative Al totransform Healthcare nowAddressing workforce shortagesTechnological advancements01The healthcare sector is grappling05and infrastructurewith a significant shortage of workers.The technology and infrastructure neededparticularly in clinical roles.While Robotic Processfor Gen Al are now well-established and accessible.Automation(RPA)has been used to accelerateRecent advancements in Gen Al and machine learningadministration in healthcare for some time.Gen Alprovide powerful tools that could transform healthcareoffers a new generation of RPA potential,such asdelivery.With significant data sources and processbetter chat/email dialogues,data interpretationdriven tasks,the NHS is in a unique position toand note-creation,allowing staffto focus on moreleverage the potential of Gen Al to enhance patientcritical functions.Gen Al powered tools can supportcare,streamline operations,and drive innovation.healthcare professionals by handling administrativework and optimising workflows;crucial in a time ofHowever,there are considerations for the NHSworkforce scarcity.particularly in data governance and ensuring theappropriate guardrails and strong infrastructure anddata foundations are established and considered as02Enhancing productivitypart of this adoption journey.Recent advancements inGen Al has the potential to significantlythe ability to govern and protect data as well asboost productivity in healthcare settingsevolving maturity of the standards have all made useBy automating tasks;both repetitive and non-repetitive,of Gen Al more accessible to the NHS moving forwardanalysing vast amounts of data,and generating insightsGen Al applications can streamline operations andimprove efficiency.This increased productivity helpshealthcare organisations manage higher patientAddressing technical debtvolumes and deliver faster,high quality care,ultimatelyleading to better patient outcomes and optimised06The NHS is actively working to resolveresource utilisation.technical debt by modernising its ITsystems and infrastructure.As these improvementstake hold,the foundation for implementing advancedImproving workforce retentiontechnologies such as Gen Al becomes more viable.03and wellbeingThe NHS is also investing in implementing a FederatedHealthcare professionals often face highData Platform at NHS Trusts and ICBs to connect datalevels of stress and burnout due to demandingin a safe,secure and standardised way.By adoptingworkloads and administrative tasks.Gen Al canGen Al now,the NHS can capitalise on these upgrades,alleviate some of this pressure by automating routineaccelerating their digital transformation,and avoidtasks and providing decision-support tools,which canfurther compounding technical challenges.enhance job satisfaction and reduce burnout.Bycreating a more manageable work environment,Gen AlThis proactive approach ensures that Al solutions cancan help improve workforce retention and overallbe integrated smoothly into existing systems,enhancingwellbeing,which is essential for maintaining aoverall efficiency and effectiveness.motivated and effective healthcare team.NHS licensing agreement04Alleviating financial pressureHealthcare organisations are underThe NHS has established licensingimmense pressure to reduce costs whileagreements to facilitate the adoption ofmaintaining high-quality care.Gen Al may offer a cost-Gen Al.These agreements provide a framework foreffective solution by optimising resource allocation,acquiring and deploying Gen Al tools,ensuringreducing errors,and enhancing operational efficiencies.compliance and optimising value.By taking advantageGen Al-driven tools can help in budgeting,forecasting.of these agreements now,the NHS can accelerateand managing financial workflows,which can lead tothe deployment of Gen Al solutions and benefit fromsignificant cost savings and better financial management.negotiated terms that support its strategic goalsGen Al has the capacity to help healthcare organisationsand operational needs.improve financial outlook overall.KPMGHealthcare sector:The Future of Al and the WorkforceUnlocking Gen Al potentialin HealthcareUnlocking the value of Generative Al requiresa new approach defined by identifying andaugmenting previously hard to automate tasksWithout an intentional approach,and clear successcriteria,it will be for organisations to effectivelytransform and augment their workforce.To accelerate the value of any investment,werecommend a three-step,human-centered approach:Before you deploy02While you deploy03Following Gen Al01Gen AL.Gen Al...worker impacts..Augment theReshape theopportunityworkforceworkforceAssess and modelInitiate worker upskillingShift roles and operatingautomation impacts andand drive adoption bymodels to deliverestablishing neworganisational value.workforce.experiences.TransformationIdentify,quantify,and prioritiseAugment existing rolesDemonstrate and validaterole augmentation activitiesactivities and tasks withcapacity and productivityand tasks.redefined experiences.value achieved.Align deconstructed job tasksEstablish productivityReconstruct reorganisewith Gen Al solutions and dataand capacity peopleroles for optimised efficiency,effectiveness and experience.requirements.value measures.Clarify role impacts forActivate intentional role-basedEstablish new talent metricsadoption enablement plan.adoption plan.and processes.Gen Al technology deploymentAnalyse and prepare tech.ldentify,prioritise and testGen Al solutions.Enhance data,monitor riskdata,risk security.and security.Pilot deploy Gen AlsolutionsMonitor and scale tech,data,risk and securityKPMGHealthcare sector:The Future of Al and the Workforceand tasksThis process includes breaking down jobs into specificAs organisations increasingly adopt Gen Altasks and analysing the augmentation potential fortechnologies,understanding their impact onvarious job roles becomes crucial.A systematiceach task across seven key Gen Al capabilities:dataapproach to assessing this impact involvesinterpretation,summarising information,contentidentifying how Gen Al can augment job functions.creation,code generation,calendar management,translation,and conversational agents.KPMG's Workforce.Al methodologySteps to identifying workforce opportunity with Al:ConsolidateProcessGenerateCalculateApplyBest in classJob-relevantLarge languageJob:TaskGenAlWorkforceStrategicdatamodelmappingsimpactcontextinsightCompany-DocumentsTasks areTasks areWorkforce andAuthoritativespecificarelinked to jobs tostructuredcommercialinsight todocuments thatanalysed tocreate aaccording toimpacts areprioritise Gen Alcontain contextcreate apotential Genadded for yourinvestments andon the taskstaxonomy for theaddition to yourAl impactorganisation byunderstand theperformed in themost prevalentjobacross fiveadding volume ofimpacts of Genjob-jobtasks performedarchitecture:categories.work (WholeAl tooling suchprofiles.across thetasksTime Equivalent)as Microsoftdescriptionsworkforce atmappingsdata to jobsCopilot.productivity datayour(e.g.ticketsorganisation.completed)Gen Al capabilitiesThere are seven capabilities of Gen Al that can potentially be leveraged to help the workforce*:DataSummarisingCreatingDiaryConversationalCodeTranslationinterpretationcontentmanagementagentsgeneration"There is merit in organisations beginning to increase their overall workforce bench strength in these areas,for example,by usingapplications like Microsoft Copilot etc.KPMGAgHealthcare sector.The Future of Al and the WorkforceLimitations of the approachWhile our approach is differentiated and offers early and clear insight into thepotential benefits of Gen Al,the approach does have certain limitations.However,we do believe the results are useful in helping to identify specific roles or serviceswhere Gen Al is expected to realise the greatest benefit.The next phase of theresearch would be to understand the real benefits working with specific functionsand clinical teams to develop specific use cases.The table below details the limitations of the approach employed and how we have soughtto mitigate these.LimitationMitigationThe initial analysis is conducted based on jobWe worked with the relevant professional leads and humandescriptions,which may not accurately represent theresources to update them where possible,with a specific focuscurrent on-the-ground reality.Some of the jobon roles where the initial analysis identified a high augmentationdescriptions and role profiles provided had not beenbenefit.We have then re-run the analysis based on revised jobupdated since 2004 when Agenda for Change (AfC)descriptions or role profiles.We have also cross-checkedwas introduced,and as such don't accurately reflectthe results generated with an extensive database of the tasksthe nature of the role today.performed by different roles covering all sectors of the economy(O*Net).The approach to task and time allocationFor each of the selected roles,we are now collaborating withis informed by overarching market trends,individuals either performing the role or possessing apotentially overlooking the nuances of specificcomprehensive understanding of it,to update the job-to-taskorganisational contexts.mapping and corresponding time distribution and,thereby,applying an organisation specific lens.Job descriptions for Doctors in Training(DIT)Given the absence of task-based job descriptions or roledo not contain a detailed description of tasksprofiles for DIT in the NHS,we used relevant job descriptionsfor substantive Doctors for Service as a proxy.The assessment presupposes that Gen Al presents aTo enhance the practicality of our assessment results.universally significant opportunity.serving primarilya panel of subject matter experts and Gen Al specialists wereas a directional guide for identifying potential areas ofconvened to explore viable solutions to enable seamlessapplication rather than offering precise quantification.integration of Al into routine work processes.This expertconsultation aimed to bridge the gap between theoreticalassessment and practical application,ensuring findings areboth actionable and grounded in real-world feasibility.The current report has not applied an Equality.To ensure fairness and transparency (which are also twoDiversity and Inclusion(EDI)lens on top to identifyof the important ethical pillars of the KPMG Trusted Al frameworktrends.patterns and outliers for various segments-more on this in section 5 of this report).and groups(and sub-groups)of employees.It iswe recommend applying EDI lens on all the outputscritical that organisations consider these factorsand opportunities.This can be done by way of data and can bewhile identifying and /or prioritising any opportunitycovered extensively during the design workshops.(whether Gen Al or not).The current assessment regarding the potentialfor the augmentation with Gen Al identifies themaximum potential based on current technologyThe next phase would be to focus on three use cases identifiedacross a small number of roles and functions to jointly developand the detail provided.In practice,it is anticipated realisable benefitsunderstanding and build a plan to realise the benefits particularlyin time saved and return on investment.will be lower due to a factors such as cost andways of working.KPMGSection 3:The projectedimpact of Al on thehealth workforceHealthcare sector:The Future of Al and the WorkforceWe looked at 134 roles acrossLeeds Teaching Hospitals NHS TrustWe have analysed 134 job roles,encompassinga WTE of 16,174 individuals across patient-facing,clinical support,and non-patient-facing jobcategories.Given that Leeds Teaching Hospitalsemploy 22,041 people which is 2%of all NHShospital staff in England,potential benefits from Aldeployment into a particular role or functionnationwide can be scaled.To maintain the anonymity of the analysis,we excluded134rolesjob roles with a WTE(Whole Time Equivalent)of fewerthan five people,as well as those with a higher level ofmanual responsibilities (for example,housekeeping).Additionally,non-executive director roles were omittedfrom the analysis.The analysis for the remaining 276roles (2.414 individuals)would be carried out in thenext phase.27%22%PatientClinicalNon patientfacingsupportfacing25,00020,00022.04115,00010,000-16.1745,000-2,300-1.141-122,414Total numberTotal numberTotal numberTotal excluded Total excludedTotal numberof LTHTthat KPMGthat HC <5numbernumberof remainingEmployeeprocessed(Manual(Non-executiveEmployees(88 JDs)labour type)directors)KPMGHealthcare sector.The Future of Al and the WorkforceWe identified trends acrossdifferent types of rolesIn healthcare,the wide range of job roles can be broadlyEach of these categories play a crucial part incategorised into three key areas:patient-facing roles,delivering high-quality healthcare,ensuring that patientnon-patient-facing roles and clinical support functions.outcomes are optimised,and that the healthcaresystem functions smoothly.5%Patient facingPatient facingrolesNon patient-facingrolesPatient-facing roles include doctors,nurses,alliedNon patient-facing roles include administrators,staffhealth professionals.and other caregivers whoin finance,procurement and estates,HR managersinteract directly with patients.These professionalsand IT specialists.Though they do not interact withare responsible for diagnosing,treating,and caringpatients directly,their work is essential.This groupfor individuals,making them the cornerstone ofincludes people responsible for the business,healthcare delivery.Their roles demand a uniqueoperational,and technological infrastructure.blend of medical expertise,empathy,and strongcommunication skills as they directly impact thepatient experience.Clinical supportrolesClinical support roles cover professionals such asradiology technicians,phlebotomists,biomedicalscientists and pharmacy technicians who assistpatient-facing staff in delivering care.While theymay have limited direct contact with patients,theirwork is critical to providing high quality care.These roles require technical expertise and strongcollaboration with both patient-facing and non-patient-facing professionals.KPMG