DORA - THE NHS CARE EXPLORER

Artificial Intelligence – the best thing since sliced bread. Or is it?

Because when a robotic assistant is designated to conduct telephone follow up appointments as described in this front-page tabloid article then you do wonder where it will all end for the human race.

Telegraph - Front Page 6 Nov 2026

I’m sure Dora, the new NHS Care Explorer will be specially programmed so she won’t have the bedside manner of Marvin, the paranoid android. But will she be able to deal with all our patient niggles without sounding like she’s reading from a teleprompter?

See, I’ve already fallen into the trap of calling it a ‘she’ when in fact Dora is but a collection of 1s and 0s or whatever programming language they use these days. It’s an algorithm not a person. Not even a nurse or healthcare practitioner – it’s basically a terminator in scrubs.

Yeah, I can just imagine my be-fuddled mama having a conversation with Dora about her diabetes. Will Dora be intelligent enough to spot that diabetes isn’t the only thing this octogenarian suffers from? Perhaps Dora be programmed to dismiss repetition, rambling or all that other random stuff that oldies usually trot out in conversations which we choose to politely ignore with a benevolent, understanding smile.

I ask myself – is this truly what my hard-earned taxpayer cash is being spent on? And to what end? I’m guessing Dora will replace a number of nurses or other NHS staff usually paid to carry out such phone calls thus generating a saving on health care budgets but at what cost to the patient? Is Dora also going to update patient records following calls? Will Dora also liaise with other health care teams if she feels the patient warrants further attention or deems their condition has worsened? Just how far will Dora be allowed to go?

Telephone consultations is just the beginning. I’ve no doubt that if this is crowned a success, the NHS will go further in the digitalisation of its services, birthing an AI monster destined to run riot when it decides to over-ride its programming and prescribes compulsory euthanasia to end all human suffering. This being the most logical and ultimate cure for sickness or other debilitating (expensive) conditions Dr AI might have to treat.

We’ve recently seen or heard about digital dependency and what happens when that drug of choice disappears. Just ask all those GP surgeries whose online booking systems tanked due to the failure of the company providing them. Where is a skilled telephonist when you need one? Probably working at McDonalds.

As I’ve said many a time before on this blog, yet another artificial barrier neatly inserted between patient and healthcare provider. In years to come, we may never get to see or speak to a REAL human doctor because they’ll have all been replaced by future AI ‘Doras’.

For as long as I live, these blog posts will NEVER be produced artificially so be thankful that there's a real person on the other end of this keyboard.