NHS outpatients, agentic AI, the NHS App, EPRs and digitisation - Tom Whicher, CEO of DrDoctor, on why outpatient care as we know it shouldn't exist, and how AI could fix it.
DrDoctor has powered nearly 200 million NHS appointments for 37 million patients and delivered over £150 million in NHS savings.
In this episode of HealthTech Hour, Tom shares how a naval architecture degree and a chance consultancy project peeling onions for Domino's Pizza led him to co-found DrDoctor in 2012 - and why 13 years later, he believes outpatient care as we know it shouldn't exist.
We explore:
Why hospital appointments haven't fundamentally changed since the 1600s, how DrDoctor has powered nearly 200 million NHS appointments for 37 million patients, why 40% of outpatient activity could be delivered at home, how agentic AI is now transforming how patients interact with the NHS, why EPRs alone don't deliver the savings the NHS was promised, the shift from digitisation to optimisation in NHS strategy, why every CEO of a software business needs to embrace AI, the paradox of the most-wanted job being a doctor while most doctors want to leave, how UK health tech founders can build lasting relationships with the NHS.
Tom also explains how DrDoctor is becoming the agentic operating system for the NHS — integrating deeply with EPRs, powering the NHS App, and building the AI tools that free up clinicians to focus on patient care.
Whether you're a healthcare professional, founder, investor, policymaker, or simply interested in the future of healthcare, this conversation offers a rare inside view of what really needs to change to make the NHS fit for the future.
00:00 The Future of Healthcare 02:15 From naval architecture to health tech 06:30 The orange form and box of roses story 12:00 Why outpatients shouldn't exist in 2026 16:30 Being thrown out of a CIO's office in 2012 20:00 How DrDoctor powers the NHS App 25:00 The agentic AI tool that changes hospital appointments 29:00 Why EPRs don't save the NHS money 37:30 Why success can make you the enemy in UK health tech 41:00 What every CEO should do about agentic AI 47:30 Learning from the king of milk