Would YOU trust it? NHS to diagnose patients via new smartphone app after criticisms of 'inadequate' 111 helpline

Developed by UK tech company Babylon, the initiative follows widespread criticism of the much-maligned hotline, which has been beset by problems. The app, initially available to people in Camden, Islington, Enfield and Barnet, will address urgent but non-life-threatening conditions. Users will be able to type details of their ailments and the artificial intelligence will ask further questions to assess their condition, while matching the responses with medical databases. According to the Financial Times, the process requires 12 messages and an average of ninety seconds to make a provisional diagnosis. In comparison, the average call time for a 111 user spanned from 10 to 12 minutes.