Consequently, NHS waiting lists grow longer, and frustration mounts on all sides. Sorting through thousands of pages of medical notes to approve a single paragraph is a significant undertaking. Smartbox.ai aims to alleviate this burden. 

DSARs and the NHS: a snapshot

Daily, the NHS faces complex DSARs from ex-employees and patients requesting their medical records for various reasons, such as insurance or further treatment investigations.

The sheer volume of data involved is significant, including emails with numerous attachments. Manually reviewing these documents to identify and redact personal data takes approximately 52.5 hours per request, based on our analysis. It’s not only time-consuming but also monotonous for the staff involved.

In addition, our research suggests that each DSAR costs around £1,258 to process. With an organisation handling 120 requests annually, this amounts to 5,985 hours at a cost of £143,432. As mentioned above, the NHS deals with thousands – if not tens of thousands – of these requests every year.

There’s also the issue of duplication, with up to 60% of the dataset being redundant. This increases the time required and the risk of errors, such as accidentally disclosing sensitive information.

The NHS also faces significant challenges

In addition, the following challenges arise when dealing with patient DSARs: 

• Differentiating between third-party names and those of doctors and clinicians, as all third-party names must be redacted. This is a complex and time-consuming task. 

• Identifying medical record contamination, where records may have been mixed up during digitisation. This is difficult to detect and poses a significant risk, since the NHS can face substantial fines for disclosing third-party medical records.

• Accurately detecting harmful information within the dataset, such as details of abusive relationships, drug problems or sexual abuse.  

Together, these steps amount to an additional and significant manual burden for already stretched teams.

Overcoming real-world obstacles with Microsoft solutions

Smartbox.ai improves the accuracy and speed of servicing DSARs using Microsoft Azure’s form recognition and natural language processing capabilities. By leveraging these and other Azure tools, Smartbox.ai can automate the conversion of files to PDFs at the rate of around 10,000 pages per hour, while automatically identifying and highlighting personal data and duplicates.

We also developed tools to address challenges specific to the NHS. We use regular expressions to identify medical record numbers within a dataset, flagging any discrepancies. Smartbox.ai is able to locate and delete unwanted data, preventing the disclosure of incorrect records.

We work with NHS boards to create dictionaries that differentiate between third-party names and doctors/clinicians. We can list all names in a dataset, redact third-party names and retain relevant doctor/clinician names using our Bulk Redaction technology. We’ve also created a dictionary for sensitive words related to abuse, sexual assault and other critical information – allowing users to navigate to the relevant pages and decide if redaction is necessary.

While human interaction is still required, Smartbox.ai simplifies the process, enabling clinicians to focus on their core duties. Our complex tagging system highlights areas needing review, reducing the time spent on lengthy documents.

Extending innovation to local government

Local government bodies face similar challenges with DSARs, particularly when dealing with requests for personal data from residents and employees. The volume of data and the need for meticulous redaction can be overwhelming.

Smartbox.ai can streamline this process by automating data conversion, identifying personal information and flagging duplicates.

This reduces the time and cost associated with manual data review, allowing local government staff to focus on more critical tasks and improving overall efficiency.

Results that make a difference

With Smartbox.ai, the cost per case is just over £17 according to a customer survey we carried out in May 2025, and this frees up thousands of hours for NHS and local government staff. Giving doctors and government employees more time to focus on their primary responsibilities.

We’ve seen significant results with the NHS. For example, one customer reported a reduction of 36,000 files to 18,000 by eliminating unnecessary information, and cut that even further to 374 relevant files using our technology.

In another case, a high-security psychiatric hospital using Smartbox.ai reported a 70% reduction in time and effort when responding to DSARs, while also increasing accuracy and reducing risk.

Smartbox.ai has helped free up valuable resources and alleviate a significant burden for staff in our vital public services.

Working in partnership with Microsoft

Microsoft is focused on helping industry customers drive transformation, and working with AI companies like Smartbox.AI is an important part of this strategy. By integrating Microsoft solutions into our AI stack, we’re extending their capabilities to our global customer base – helping drive shared innovation at scale. The opportunity is significant, given Microsoft’s world-class AI capability and the impact of its solutions across industry.

All data points and case study examples are based on Smartbox.ai research or customer-reported outcomes and have not been independently verified by Microsoft.

Find out more

Download the e-book: Transform ISV Applications with Intelligent AI Personalisation
Watch the webinar: What is New in ISV Success – AI benefits and More 

About the author

With nearly 30 years’ experience in the IT industry, Darren currently holds the position of CRO for the 2023 AI Company of the Year, Smartbox.ai. The company uses AI to detect and redact personal and sensitive information buried within datasets and IT environments. Prior to his role at Smartbox.ai, Darren was the Managing Director at Bytes Document Solutions, and the founder and Managing Director of the channel services group, Boost Technology Group. He has been a CRN IT industry judge every year since 2016 and is a regular commentator on IT industry matters.

The post How Smartbox.ai and Microsoft are reducing DSAR costs for the NHS and local government appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs - United Kingdom.

These technologies aren’t on the horizon – they’re in use today. The examples below show how AI, and agents in particular, are delivering results and helping councils provide smarter, more compassionate services. 

A trailblazing “front door”: Basildon Council’s AI journey 

I recently joined a UK Authority webinar with leaders from Basildon Council to discuss how the council is working with HSO to transform its resident experience through AI. For example, common service requests – such as missed-bin reports – are now automatically handled via an intelligent portal that provides updates and reduces the need for follow-up contact. 

This AI-powered system has freed up capacity to focus on complex, high-impact cases. The council has already delivered £2 million in savings, while also working to unify data sources through Microsoft Fabric to better predict demand and support broader service reform. Read more about Basildon Council’s AI initiative. 

Looking ahead 

These are just a few of the many live examples where AI and agent-based models are helping councils rethink how they work. You can explore more in Microsoft’s new report, Agents of Change, which discusses, among other benefits, how agentic AI is helping reduce staff burnout and transform public services.

From social care to procurement, translation to SEND support, these tools are enabling better, faster, more responsive services – and ultimately, improving lives. 

If you’re a public servant who would like to learn more, connect with peers and co-create with support from Microsoft, I encourage you to join us at the next Innovation and Collaboration Forum. 

Find out more

Read the blog: Driving innovation in the UK public sector with AI

Download the Agents of Change report

About the author

Robin has 20 years of experience working with Microsoft and local public services, and has deep expertise in the local government and housing sectors. His technology background helps align emerging tech with sector priorities, driving innovation in services and resident outcomes. He has worked on many shared services and unitary council mergers, and is passionate about using AI and reform to modernise processes. Robin currently leads Microsoft UK’s Local Public Services team, driving transformation across the sector.

The post How AI and intelligent agents are transforming local government  appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs - United Kingdom.

With the South West emerging as a vibrant tech hub, our Exeter stop was a fitting location to showcase AI’s transformative potential. 

Exploring the AI opportunity 

In my keynote, I discussed the immense opportunity AI presents to the UK public sector. Studies suggest that AI adoption could save the UK £17 billion by 2035. I highlighted real-world applications, from NHS clinicians detecting cancers earlier to local councils reducing air pollution, underscoring the need for bold leadership to embrace these technologies. 

Beyond financial savings, I emphasised how AI is enabling public servants to refocus on their core mission – serving citizens more effectively, while setting new standards in efficiency and innovation. 

The South West itself is a model of regional innovation. With over 18,000 tech companies and an annual tech investment of £454 million, it demonstrates how local initiatives can drive national impact.  

The Met Office’s pioneering work is a prime example. Using Microsoft Azure’s supercomputing-as-a-service, the Met Office optimises weather predictions, helping communities better prepare for extreme weather and supporting climate resilience.  

Richard Bevan, CTO at the Met Office, shared intriguing insights into how AI, including the groundbreaking Fastnet prediction tool, is transforming weather forecasting. Developed in partnership with the Alan Turing Institute, Fastnet leverages AI to refine temperature predictions and bridge gaps in oceanic data – a vital resource for tackling climate change.  

Richard also highlighted recent adoption figures for Microsoft Copilot at the Met Office.

“With Microsoft Copilot saving an average 27 minutes daily per user, we can focus more on the higher-value tasks.”

Richard Bevan, CTO, Met Office

This suggests the powerful role AI can play in not only improving operational efficiency but also enhancing productivity in the sector. 

Nurturing AI readiness and innovation 

The event also featured a thought-provoking panel discussion with leaders such as Professor Kirstine Dale (Chief Data & AI Officer at the Met Office), Dr John McCormick (CCIO at NHS Devon ICB) and David Baker (Head of Automation and Technology at Shropshire Council). 

Together, they explored pressing topics like information governance, accessibility and workforce skilling. Kirstine’s observation that “it’s all about people and communication” resonated deeply, reminding us that successful AI adoption centres around empowerment and requires keeping citizens and employees at the heart of every decision. 

Equipping public sector professionals with the skills to harness AI was another recurring theme. My colleague Paul Griffiths, Public Sector Skills Lead at Microsoft UK, shared data highlighting that 75% of workers are already using AI tools.  

As Paul noted, however, significant gaps in readiness remain. This underlines the importance of skills initiatives, such as LinkedIn Learning and TechHer. LinkedIn Learning has to date empowered over 80 million learners globally with AI-related skills, while TechHer helps women across the UK gain technical skills to advance their careers. This Microsoft programme has trained nearly 4,000 women in government to date, and you can register your interest for TechHer 2025 today. 

Looking ahead, the role of AI in the public sector is clear. From clearing NHS backlogs to making cities more sustainable, AI has the potential to reimagine how services are delivered. However, realising this vision requires robust infrastructure, strong governance and a commitment to empowering public servants with the tools and training they need to succeed.  

How is your organisation preparing for AI adoption? I’d love to hear your thoughts on how AI is transforming public sector services. 

Find out more

• Register for the Microsoft AI Tour in London on March 5, 2025
• Visit the Microsoft UK AI Hub for real-life customer stories, events and resources
• Assess your AI readiness today 

About the author

Robin has 20 years of experience in Microsoft and local public services, with deep expertise in the local government and housing sectors. His technology background helps align emerging tech with sector priorities, driving innovation in services and resident outcomes. He has worked on many shared services and unitary council mergers, and is passionate about using AI and reform to modernise processes. Robin leads Microsoft’s Local Public Services team, driving transformation across the sector.

The post Driving innovation in the UK public sector with AI    appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs - United Kingdom.