Benefits
- Benefit
-
Referrals rise by 15%, against 6% in control services
Awaiting review
- Outcome identifiers
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Category
-
Increased Inclusion
Awaiting review
- Status
-
Reported benefit
Awaiting review
- Beneficiary groups
-
Society.
Awaiting review
- Beneficiaries
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Reach
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Distribution and access
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Duration
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Expected?
-
Yes
Awaiting review
- Costs and harms
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
AI system
- System
-
Limbic Access (AI self-referral chatbot)
Awaiting review
- Model
-
This is an explicit unresolved assignment: the sources on record do not settle this question.
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Release
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Provider
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Role
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Configuration
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Inputs and outputs
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Autonomy
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Workflow
-
Services placed the chatbot on their websites as a self-referral route open at all hours. Other referral routes stayed open.
Awaiting review
- Human oversight
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Relation to AI
-
The study compared services that adopted the chatbot with control services in routine data. Services were not randomized, so differences between services may explain part of the rise.
Awaiting review
- AI contribution
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
Measurement
- Studies
-
Controlled observational. [1]
Fully reviewed: supporting details for Studies
Review date: 29 October 2026.
Sources: [1]
- Study design
-
Controlled observational. [1]
Fully reviewed: supporting details for Study design
Review date: 29 October 2026.
Sources: [1]
- Measurement
-
Referral volumes and demographics in routine service data, services with the chatbot against control services. [1]
Fully reviewed: supporting details for Measurement
Review date: 29 October 2026.
Sources: [1]
- Setting and sample
-
129,400 patients in NHS Talking Therapies services in England. [1]
Fully reviewed: supporting details for Setting and sample
Review date: 29 October 2026.
Sources: [1]
- Measures
-
Change in referral volume, overall and by group. [1]
Fully reviewed: supporting details for Measures
Review date: 29 October 2026.
Sources: [1]
- Comparison
-
Control services without the chatbot. [1]
Fully reviewed: supporting details for Comparison
Review date: 29 October 2026.
Sources: [1]
- Results
-
15% against 6% rise; nonbinary 179%; ethnic minority 29%. [1]
Fully reviewed: supporting details for Results
Review date: 29 October 2026.
Sources: [1]
- Additional value from AI
-
About 9 percentage points more growth in referrals. [1]
Fully reviewed: supporting details for Additional value from AI
Review date: 29 October 2026.
Sources: [1]
- Limitations
-
Observational; company authors; NICE notes mostly company-sourced evidence. [1]
Fully reviewed: supporting details for Limitations
Review date: 29 October 2026.
Sources: [1]
Money
- Kind of value
-
The kind of monetary value is unclear.
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Amount
-
The monetary value is not established.
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Currency and prices
-
The currency and price basis are unclear.
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Period and unit
-
The period and unit of the monetary estimate are unclear.
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Realization
-
Whether the monetary value was realized is unclear.
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Recipients and payers
-
The recipients and payers are unclear.
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Gross or net
-
Whether the monetary figure includes costs is unclear.
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Included costs
-
The costs included in the estimate are unclear.
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Comparison
-
The financial comparison is not established.
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Method
-
The method used to calculate monetary value is unclear.
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Return and payback
-
The return on investment or payback period is not established.
Not reviewedUnresolved
People and places
- Participants
-
Developer: Limbic. Operator: NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression services in England.
Awaiting review
- Jurisdictions
-
Benefit: England,
United Kingdom. Developer: United Kingdom. Operator: United Kingdom.Awaiting review
- Ownership and control
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Dependencies
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Cross-border connections
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Geopolitical implications
-
The geopolitical implications are unclear.
Not reviewedUnresolved
Follow-up
- Conditions for replication
-
People have access to a phone or computer. Services have capacity to assess the extra referrals.
Awaiting review
- Replication attempts
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Later findings
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Availability
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Institutional decision
-
A relevant institutional decision has not been established.
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Grounds
-
The grounds for an institutional decision are unclear.
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Action and result
-
The result of an institutional decision is not established.
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Success criterion
-
The criterion for a successful institutional decision is unclear.
Not reviewedUnresolved
Evidence
- Source numbers
-
AIBD-0656-source-0001–0003
Awaiting review
- Citations
-
Numbered references below.
Awaiting review
- Language
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Source relationships
-
Independent, Developer
Awaiting review
- Original evidence
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Access and versions
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Supported findings
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Evidence links
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Evidence strength
-
Found by a regulator. Sources: two independent regulatory documents and the makers' peer-reviewed study. The cited evidence includes no independent study or report. [1] [2] [3]
- Missing evidence
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
Grades
- Assessed benefits
-
Society.
Awaiting review
- Depth
-
Society: 2.
Awaiting review
- Reasons
-
Society: Referrals rose 15% in services using the chatbot against 6% in control services, with rises of 179% for nonbinary people and 29% for ethnic minority people.
Awaiting review
- Observed or intended
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Rubric
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Assessor and date
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Alternative assessments
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Fill
-
Found by a regulator
Awaiting review
Entry details
- Kind
-
The case describes an evaluation or a study. A health technology assessment that cites a multisite observational study. [2]
Fully reviewed: supporting details for Kind
Review date: 29 October 2026.
Sources: [2]
- Related entries
-
No incident in the AI Incident Database snapshot of 26 October 2026 concerns the same kind of system harming the same kind of stakeholder.
Partly reviewedUnresolved: supporting details for Related entries
Compared with the incidents in the AI Incident Database snapshot of 26 October 2026.
- Field
-
Mental health care access.
Awaiting review
- Purpose
-
Limbic Access was built to take self-referrals and collect assessment information for NHS Talking Therapies. Wider access to referral is part of that purpose.
Awaiting review
- Dates
-
Source published: 5 February 2024. Updated: 29 October 2026.
Awaiting review
- Stage
-
The system was in routine use. NHS Talking Therapies services used the chatbot as a live referral route. [2]
Fully reviewed: supporting details for Stage
Review date: 29 October 2026.
Sources: [2]
- Version
-
SHA-256: 7cbd4ecad721…
Awaiting review: supporting details for Version
SHA-256 of the public case, its assessments, and its displayed answers and notes, excluding its own identifier and the derived coverage summary.
References
- Other identifiers
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Category mappings
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Citable summary
-
Unresolved
Not reviewedUnresolved
- Revisions
-
1 revision. Latest: 29 October 2026.
Awaiting review
Sources
-
Peer-reviewed study Developer
Habicht J, Viswanathan S, Carrington B, Hauser TU, Harper R, Rollwage M. Closing the accessibility gap to mental health treatment with a personalized self-referral chatbot. Nature Medicine. 2024;30:595-602.
Critically, this increase was particularly pronounced in minorities, such as nonbinary (179% increase) and ethnic minority individuals (29% increase).
-
Regulatory document Independent author
One peer-reviewed study ( Habicht et al. 2024 ) showed that Limbic Access is effective at increasing referrals from people typically underrepresented in mental healthcare.
-
Regulatory document Independent author
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. HTG756, section 1: Recommendations. 24 July 2025.
Two digital front door technologies can be used in the NHS during the evidence generation period as options to gather service user information for NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression assessments in people 16 years and over.