AI telephone receptionists for NHS general practice
Jackie, EMMA and InTouchNow AI, side by side
What each product does on a call, what it gives the practice team, how it is charged and how it is assured. Competitor entries come from each vendor's public website, published case studies, practice web pages and the MHRA device register.
Published by Auxilis AI, the maker of Jackie.
- Yes evidenced
- Partial limited or per practice
- No not offered
- Stated vendor statement we could not verify
| Capability | JackieAuxilis AI | EMMAQuantumLoop AI | InTouchNow AIInTouchNow Services |
|---|---|---|---|
| On the call | |||
| Dialogue safely built for each request typeDoes it ask the right follow-up questions, and is each flow tested? | YesRecognises 20+ request types and routes each to its own question flow. Fit notes alone run 10 steps: dates, previous note, condition, job, workplace adjustments, self-certification. Over 400 automated dialogue tests, and every request flow is covered by Jackie's DCB0129 clinical safety case. | Form questionsAsks the questions on the practice's online consultation form.2 | Practice-builtEach practice customises call-handling templates, self-serve or with InTouchNow AI's team, so depth depends on that configuration. Each implementation is risk assessed within their clinical safety case.21,16 |
| Emergency and safety-indicator detection | YesCaller turns are checked for six groups of emergency symptoms. Scripted 999 / A&E advice, then transfer to reception. | YesKeyword detection (e.g. chest pain, breathing difficulty); directs to 999 / 111 or transfers.4 | YesChecks for urgent symptoms during the conversation; trigger words transfer to a person.11 |
| Patient identity check | YesName and date of birth checked against the NHS Spine (PDS), with a caller-number match. The practice can choose to send calls that fail identification to reception; this is off by default. | YesAsks the caller's date of birth and postcode.27 | YesName and date of birth; failed verification goes to a person.12 |
| Aware of earlier calls and open requestsHas this patient called before? | YesOnce the patient is identified, Jackie sees their open requests and earlier calls. A patient who calls back about an open request is reassured that the practice is already processing it, and repeat contact about the same problem is flagged to the practice. | NoEMMA does not access patient records.2 | Not publishedReads the clinical system to book. No use of the patient's history in the conversation published.12 |
| Offers care the patient is duee.g. "You're due your flu jab, shall I book you in?" | YesIf the patient is on one of the practice's active campaign lists, Jackie offers to book them in once their own request is dealt with. Never after an emergency, and never to someone calling on the patient's behalf. | Not publishedNo offers during inbound calls published. | Not publishedNo offers during inbound calls published. |
| Books into the clinical system | YesEMIS and SystmOne*. Books GP, blood test and smear slots, reschedules and cancels, within limits each practice sets. *SystmOne booking coming soon. | NoQuantumLoop's helpdesk: EMMA does not book appointments directly.2 | StatedLive booking into EMIS and SystmOne.10,12 |
| Online consultation toolsWhere the request lands | LiveAccurx, eConsult, Footfall, Patchs, SystmConnect, and Klinik (direct API). | Accurx evidencedAccurx at named practices. Also states Patchs, eConsult, Anima and SystmConnect.4,7 | Accurx, Klinik evidencedAccurx and Klinik in published case studies. States 10+ more, including eConsult, Anima, Patchs and SystmConnect.10,14 |
| Existing phone system | YesCalls routed from the practice's current platform: Surgery Connect, Wavenet, Gamma or any SIP-capable system. | Number portedPractice number ported to QuantumLoop's carrier, with failover to the existing provider.3 | YesSits behind the existing phone menu on any cloud telephony; no number port.10 |
| Languages | EnglishEnglish only, by design. We add a language once emergency detection and the other safety controls are validated in it. | 10–21QuantumLoop's own figures vary: 10, 17 plus English, 21. Its assurance document says the caller selects the language.3,5,6 | 85+ statedAutomatic language detection stated. One practice case study shows 14 languages, about 2% of calls.9,13 |
| Hours | 24/7Around the clock, or hours the practice sets. | Surgery hours"Designed to work during your surgery hours." QuantumLoop states no GP surgery operates around the clock.6 | 24/7Including out of hours and bank holidays.12 |
| Unlimited simultaneous calls | YesNo limit within Jackie on simultaneous calls; Park Street Surgery has reached 22 at peak. How many calls reach Jackie at the same moment can depend on the practice's telephony.24 | Stated"Handles unlimited calls simultaneously."4 | Stated"No limit to the number of calls that we can take at once."10 |
| Handover to a person | YesWhen the caller asks (the practice can set a gentle push-back first), on an emergency, or when communication breaks down because Jackie cannot understand the caller or the caller stops responding. Optionally, when identification fails. Goes to the practice's own reception or, with the optional Jackie + LineIn hybrid, to LineIn's clinically supervised call handlers, who work in the practice's clinical system.20 | YesOn request; about 22% of calls are transferred.3 | YesOn request or detected frustration, to the practice or to InTouchNow AI's own call-centre staff.11 |
| Dropped-call follow-upIf the call ends before the request is recorded | MessageThe patient receives a message saying the request has not been recorded and they need to call back. | SMSSOPHIA, QuantumLoop's SMS assistant, texts the patient a link to complete the request without needing to call back.26,3 | Not publishedNo dropped-call follow-up published. |
| Outbound calls and campaignsPractice-initiated calls | YesCalls patients on the practice's behalf to confirm appointments and invite them to campaigns and clinics, such as QOF recalls or a vaccination clinic, booking them in on the call. The practice manages each campaign's patient list, script and progress. | Not publishedFollows up dropped calls by SMS. No outbound calling published.3 | Not publishedIts practice platform lists an outbound calls section; no detail published.15 |
| For the practice team | |||
| Analytics | YesFive dashboards (Overview, Performance, Demand, Access, Patient feedback) and 28 reports. They include demand by symptom and request type, peak-hour heatmap, abandonment, reception time saved and safety escalations. PDF export. Complements the national telephony metrics supplied by the practice's phone provider. | StatedDashboard of call volumes, handling times, escalation rates, satisfaction and transcripts. Submits national telephony metrics to NHS England.3,4 | StatedLive call dashboard (AI vs human calls, queue times), call logs with transcripts and sentiment. Weekly reports during rollout.11,15 |
| Patient feedback | YesPost-call SMS survey. Ratings and recurring themes appear on the Analytics page, and each call shows its own rating and comments where the patient left them. | Not publishedSatisfaction appears on the dashboard; how it is collected is not published.4 | Call sentimentSentiment and frustration analysis of calls. No patient survey published.15 |
| Practice IG paperworkThe practice's own DPIA | YesThe practice builds its DPIA in our compliance portal and exports it to Word. | Not publishedNo practice-facing tooling published. | Not publishedNo practice-facing tooling published. |
| Practice clinical safety paperworkThe practice's own DCB0160 | YesThe practice builds its DCB0160 clinical safety documentation in our compliance portal. | Not publishedNo practice-facing tooling published. | Not publishedNo practice-facing tooling published. |
| Pricing | |||
| How you payTransparent pricing | Per effective call timeBilled on Jackie's time on calls where it did useful work: completed a request, identified the patient or caught an emergency. Calls that drop or transfer before that cost nothing. The billed hours are the reception time saved on your Analytics page. Estimate the cost for your practice | Fixed feeFixed annual fee with unlimited calls. No published price.7 | Per completed call£1.00 per call the AI completes, falling to £0.70 at volume. Handovers not charged; monthly cap available.9 |
| Trial periodBefore the practice commits | Free 4-week pilotFree four-week pilot on the practice's existing telephony, with no setup fee and no hardware. | Not publishedDemos offered. No trial or pilot terms published.4 | 2-week free trialFree trial for two weeks.10 |
| Deployment and track record | |||
| Time to go live | ~4 weeksTypically around four weeks; some practices go live in around two. Practices on Surgery Connect and Accurx may go live the next working day through Fast Track, subject to practice approvals. | 2–3 weeks"Most practices go live within 2-3 weeks."4 | Days"Most practices are live in a matter of days rather than weeks." No number port.10 |
| On-demand modeOnly when the practice needs it | YesCan be switched on only when the practice needs it, for example for the morning peak or to cover staff sickness. | Not publishedNo on-demand mode published. QuantumLoop describes EMMA as handling all inbound calls.6 | Yes"Starter" plan answers calls still queuing after 4 minutes; "Custom" plan lets the practice "choose when AI is turned on".9 |
| If the service goes down | Auto redirectRuns on Microsoft Azure UK with multi-zone redundancy and automated failover. If Jackie is unavailable, calls are automatically redirected to the practice's reception, so callers can still reach the practice without interruption. Uptime SLA of 99.5%. Disaster recovery plan tested quarterly. | Auto re-routeCalls automatically re-routed to the practice's existing phone system within seconds. A 99.999% uptime SLA appears on its comparison page.8,5 | Not publishedNo uptime or failover detail published. Sits behind the practice's existing phone menu, with a transfer-back line to reception.10 |
| Published deployment evidence | 3 named case studiesMeasured results from three named practices: Deddington Health Centre, Staffa Health and Park Street Surgery.24 | Stated figuresOutcome figures published, such as 82%+ of calls handled automatically and an 81% uplift in GP Patient Survey phone-access scores. "1 million+ patients" stated.4,5 | 2 named case studiesCase studies from two named practices: Merrow Park Surgery and The Hereford Medical Group.13,14 |
| Safety and assurance | |||
| MHRA Class I medical device | RegisteredSeptember 2026, UKCA marked. GMDN 44102, patient-administration software.1 | RegisteredOctober 2025. GMDN 44105, practice-management software.1 | RegisteredJuly 2026. GMDN 61087, clinical decision support software.1 |
| Correction: QuantumLoop's comparison page says only EMMA is a registered Class I medical device. The MHRA register lists all three products.1,5 | |||
| DCB0129 clinical safety | YesHazard log of 36 hazards and their controls, signed off by Auxilis AI's Clinical Safety Officer, Zoe Alexandra Oparah. Each practice builds its DCB0160 in our compliance portal.25 | StatedCompliance stated; appointed clinical safety officer oversees all deployments.8 | StatedCompliance stated; NHS-accredited clinical safety officer oversees safety.9,16 |
| Clinician involvement in design | Medical DirectorRequest flows designed with Auxilis AI's Medical Director, Dr Ge Yu, a practising NHS GP and GP Partner.25 | Stated"NHS clinician-designed guardrails"; built "by clinicians, engineers, and patients". No clinician named.5,8 | Not publishedClinical safety overseen by an NHS-accredited clinical safety officer. Clinician involvement in design not published.16 |
| Clinical incident record | LoggedClinical incident log kept under DCB0129: 11 near misses recorded since November 2025, each fixed. | Stated"Zero clinical incidents."5 | Not publishedHazard logs and continuous audit stated. No incident record published.16 |
| DTACNHS Digital Technology Assessment Criteria | AssessedAssessed against DTAC 2.0. | Stated"Fully DTAC compliant."8 | StatedListed among its standards.16 |
| Data Security and Protection Toolkit | ExceededStandards exceeded, 2025-26.18 | MetStandards met, 2025-26.19 | MetStandards met, 2025-26.17 |
| Cyber Essentials Plus | CertifiedWhole organisation, renewed September 2026.22 | CertifiedWhole organisation, valid to January 2027.23 | Basic onlyStates Cyber Essentials, not Plus.10 |
| UK data hosting | UKMicrosoft Azure UK. | StatedMicrosoft Azure UK; patient data not transferred outside England.8 | Stated"UK-hosted data." No further detail.9 |
| Quality management | YesQMS aligned to ISO 13485; technical file to ISO 14971 (risk) and IEC 62304 (software lifecycle). | StatedISO 13485 alignment stated.8 | StatedISO 9001 and ISO 27001 stated.16 |
Every call picks up where the last one left off
Jackie uses a patient's history only after confirming who they are against the NHS Spine, so nothing is revealed to someone sharing the patient's phone. It never assumes why someone is calling; the history shapes the question, not the answer.
Why Jackie speaks English only
Every safety control Jackie relies on (emergency detection, identity checks, handover to a person) is tested against our hazard log. We add a language when those controls are proven in it, not before. Until then, a caller who cannot continue in English is passed to reception.
Why we charge by effective call time
The practice pays for the reception time Jackie actually saves. Long, complex calls cost more than quick ones, and calls Jackie could not help with cost nothing. The invoice figure matches the time-saved figure on your own Analytics page.
Get started
See Jackie on your own calls.
Book a 30-minute demo. Bring the questions from your shortlist and we will show you how Jackie handles them, with the paperwork your practice will need.
How Jackie worksSafety and assuranceVaccination campaignsFast Track deployment
Sources
- MHRA Public Access Registration Database (PARD), manufacturer and device search, 1 October 2026. pard.mhra.gov.uk
- QuantumLoop AI, "Who is EMMA?" quantumloopai.com/helpdesk/who-is-emma
- QuantumLoop AI, practice assurance response, Mar 2026. quantumloopai.com/news/practice-assurance-response
- QuantumLoop AI, GP surgeries benefits. quantumloopai.com/gp-surgeries-benefits
- QuantumLoop AI, comparison page. quantumloopai.com/compare
- QuantumLoop AI, QuantumLoop vs InTouchNow. quantumloopai.com/quantumloopai-vs-intouchnow
- QuantumLoop AI, QuantumLoop vs Anima Andi. quantumloopai.com/quantumloopai-vs-anima-andi
- QuantumLoop AI, compliance and security. quantumloopai.com/compliance-security
- InTouchNow AI, home page and pricing calculator. intouchnow.ai
- InTouchNow AI, FAQs. intouchnow.ai/faqs
- InTouchNow AI, Total Triage. intouchnow.ai/total-triage
- InTouchNow AI, Book on the Day. intouchnow.ai/book-on-the-day
- InTouchNow AI, Merrow Park Surgery case study. PDF
- InTouchNow AI, The Hereford Medical Group case study. PDF
- InTouchNow AI, practice platform feature list. platform.intouchnow.ai
- InTouchNow AI, information governance. intouchnow.ai/information-governance-at-intouchnow-ai
- NHS DSPT, InTouchNow Services Ltd (J7V5S). dsptoolkit.nhs.uk
- NHS DSPT, Auxilis AI Ltd (V2K5V). dsptoolkit.nhs.uk
- NHS DSPT, QuantumLoop (N4F2E). dsptoolkit.nhs.uk
- LineIn, clinically supervised GP call handling. linein.co.uk
- InTouchNow AI, Answer calls for your GP practice. intouchnow.ai/answer-calls-for-your-gp-practice
- Cyber Essentials Plus certificate, Auxilis AI. registry.blockmarktech.com
- Cyber Essentials Plus certificate, QuantumLoop. registry.blockmarktech.com
- Auxilis AI, published case studies. auxilis.ai/results
- Auxilis AI, team. auxilis.ai/team
- QuantumLoop AI, "What is QuantumLoopAI?" (SOPHIA). quantumloopai.com/helpdesk/what-is-quantumloop-ai
- Calls to EMMA placed in September 2026.
Jackie entries describe features available from Best Practice 2026; booking and Klinik delivery are enabled per practice. Competitor entries reflect public information on 1 October 2026 and may have changed since. "Stated" means the vendor states it but we found no independent record.