Somerset Artificial Intelligence Virtual Agent – Alex

Somerset Foundation Trust uses an online virtual assistant (Alex) to help manage appointment inquiries for our patients in the following 3 services:

  • Orthopaedic Assessment Service (OASIS)
  • MSk Physiotherapy (MSk)
  • Podiatry

This will be another way that you can contact the service about your appointments.

You can message the text based virtual assistant to view and ask questions about your booked and confirmed appointments within the next 100 days, along with requesting a call back from the service in regards of an appointment cancellation or reschedule request.

The aim of this Virtual Assistant is to improve your experience when managing appointments and help assist in rescheduling any bookings you are unable to attend while providing an easier way to remind you of future booked appointments.

You can access the virtual assistant by clicking on the green ‘Chat now’ button in the lower right corner of the page.

If you need help, please contact the booking office named in your appointment letter.

You can ask me to:

  • Show your appointments booked and confirmed within the next 100 days.
  • Request a call back from the service to cancel an upcoming appointment which is no longer required.
  • Request a call back from the service to reschedule an upcoming appointment to a new date/time.
  • Questions about your upcoming appointment(s) for example, What should I bring to my appointment?

Please note, if you wish to amend an appointment scheduled in the next 48 hours (excluding weekends or Bank Holidays), please contact the booking office urgently by telephone.

Orthopaedic Assessment Service (OASIS)

Booking office lines open from 8:30am to 4:15pm, Monday to Friday.
Tel: 01278 432020

Podiatry

Booking office lines open from 8:30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday
Tel: 01460 247555

Bartec, Bridgwater, Burnham-on-Sea, Chard, Frome, Minehead, Parkgate, Shepton Mallet, Wellington, Wells, West Mendip, Wincanton

MSk Physiotherapy (MSk)

Booking enquiries can be emailed to MSKpatients@somersetft.nhs.uk

If required, there is a limited phone service between 9am and 12pm, Monday to Friday on Tel:01278 436733

Bridgwater, Burnham-on-Sea, Chard, Crewkerne, Dulverton, Frome, Minehead, Shepton Mallet, South Petherton, Wellington, West Mendip, Williton, Wincanton

What is Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence means different things to different people. In this context ‘Artificial Intelligence’ is the use of natural language processing, allowing the virtual agent Alex to understand the comments you type within the webchat.

Once Alex has decided the meaning of your text, it will follow a standard set of questions, laid out by the Trust, giving you responses that have been written by the Trust.

Therefore, the Artificial Intelligence being used in is focused on understanding the language people use and  is not being used to decide the care you should receive.