For many people, to simply seek mental health support is to have already overcome a huge emotional hurdle. When that bravery is met with phone holds, onerous forms, and months-long waitlists, countless prospective patients give up before even starting care.
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For Living Well Consortium (LWC), the largest provider of NHS Talking Therapies in Birmingham and Solihull, the patient access challenges were only growing – to the tune of 11,000 referrals per year, a 400 per cent increase since 2019. They needed a way not simply to expand access but to do it for more patients – all without overwhelming their swamped clinical staff.
That’s why LWC turned to clinical AI from Limbic.
A smarter, faster way to connect patients with care
In October 2023, LWC introduced Limbic Access, an AI-driven self-referral and triage tool that integrates directly onto their website. In addition to existing phone and referral systems, patients could now self-refer in minutes – on their own time, in their own words.
But Limbic Access doesn’t just collect patient data – it understands it. It is the first AI chatbot to earn a UKCA Class IIa medical device certification. Limbic flags at-risk patients and predicts the primary presenting problem with 92 per cent diagnostic reliability, providing clinicians with deeper insights before they even meet a client.
“[Limbic Access] saves triage time and gets clients the help they need sooner. [And with] the data being gathered and presented in a format that allows us to run reports and analysis, we have a much better idea of who is accessing our service and who isn’t.”
– Mabel Newman, clinical project officer
The impact: more patients helped, less strain on clinicians
Since implementing Limbic Access, LWC has seen remarkable improvements in patient experience and operational efficiency.
14% reduction in patient dropouts
Shorter waitlists and after-hours self-referral options meant fewer patients disengaged from care.
“I thought this format was a really nice change from the usual written forms that can be daunting to fill out. It feels more like a text conversation.”
- Patient
42% of self-referrals processed by Limbic Access
Clinicians could now focus on treatment, rather than admin-heavy intake tasks.
40% of self-referrals now happen outside working hours
For the first time, LWC was reaching people when they needed help most, not just when phone lines were open.
98% of patients now provide key demographic details
With more reliable patient data, LWC better serves BAME, LGBTQ+, and older adult communities with more accurate and inclusive data.
12% of incoming patients are now flagged for risk
Together, Limbic and LWC developed a signposting process that ensures urgent cases are prioritised immediately.
“There have been concerns with AI that you’re losing a sort of personal connection with the client or with the clinician. But we found very much the opposite; because we have more information about patients, we can focus our approaches in a more personalised way.”
– Samuel Perry, clinical referrals and admin lead
As mental health services continue to face rising demand, LWC’s use of clinical AI as its digital front door sets a precedent for scalable, efficient, and patient-centred care.
You can download the full case study here to learn more about how Living Well Consortium used clinical AI to increase capacity and reduce clinician workloads.
