Yorkshire patients say AI GP receptionist EMMA can't understand their accents

Aug 19, 2026

Patients in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, report that the new AI GP receptionist EMMA, developed by QuantumLoopAI, cannot understand their regional accents or speech impediments. The communication barrier has forced some frustrated patients to walk to their surgeries in person to book appointments. While Healthwatch Rotherham is advising vulnerable patients of their opt-out rights, QuantumLoopAI defends the system, claiming EMMA supports 17 languages, transfers failed calls to humans, and has achieved a 90% positive feedback rate nationwide.

EMMA accent recognition failures

▪Healthwatch Rotherham reported that some patients with speech impediments or broad regional accents could not get the EMMA AI system to understand their inquiries.
▪Patients in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, reported that the new AI GP receptionist EMMA cannot understand their regional Yorkshire accents, causing frustration.

Yorkshire dialect comprehension problems

▪Healthwatch Rotherham manager Kym Gleeson stated that South Yorkshire accents vary significantly with different regional twangs, which the EMMA system is not always able to comprehend.
▪Some frustrated patients in Rotherham have resorted to traveling to their GP surgeries on foot to secure appointments because they cannot make the EMMA AI system understand them over the phone.

NHS GP appointment access challenges

▪A single full-time NHS GP is now responsible for an average of 2,236 patients, which is 299 more patients than a decade ago in September 2015.
▪The NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board is working with Healthwatch to produce guidance for GP practices on the use of AI telephone systems.
▪NHS data shows that only four in 10 patients see their GP on the same day they book, and one in 10 patients must wait up to 28 days for an appointment.

Patient opt-out rights

▪Healthwatch Rotherham has engaged with elderly and veterans groups to inform them that they have the right to opt out of using the EMMA AI telephone system.
▪Under legal requirements, patients can request reasonable adjustments to help them book GP appointments, and Healthwatch Rotherham advises patients to speak with practice managers.

QuantumLoopAI performance claims

▪QuantumLoopAI stated that if EMMA cannot understand a caller, the call is automatically transferred to the reception team, and patients can ask to speak to staff at any time.
▪QuantumLoopAI asserted that more than 90% of patients nationwide have reported a positive improvement in service since the introduction of the EMMA system.
▪QuantumLoopAI stated that its EMMA system does not make clinical decisions, supports 17 languages in addition to English, and is trained to understand a wide range of accents and dialects.