In Santander is trialling the Centro de Salud La Maruca has been testing an AI-based telephone assistant since 24 August. “LOLA” is intended to answer calls and handle the booking, changing or cancellation of primary care appointments automatically. The Consejería de Salud by Cantabria presented the pilot when the modernised centre was inaugurated. The regional minister responsible, César Pascual said the approach was intended to make services easier to access and improve demand management.
The trial is limited to Centro de Salud La Maruca on Avenida Los Castros The regional government’s statements explicitly refer to a trial; no region-wide rollout has been announced. On the day it was presented, the department made no firm commitments regarding recognition accuracy, data protection safeguards, accessibility, evaluation criteria or timetable. Claims about its impact must therefore be considered preliminary at the time of the announcement.
The presentation coincided with the completion of extensive building and energy-efficiency work at the site. The Government of Cantabria puts the investment at 1,436,294 euros. Of this, 808,121 euros comes from the regional budget; the remaining 43.3 per cent (622,173 euros) is funded by European NextGenerationEUfunds. As part of the technical equipment, the centre installed two electrocardiographs. The devices automatically send the recorded electrocardiograms to the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) of the Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, making the examinations available in the clinical imaging network.
Interests and context: With “LOLA”, the Health Department aims to standardise frequent telephone enquiries, reduce waiting times and free staff from routine tasks. Patients may find it easier to get through outside busy periods. At the same time, the benefits depend on accurate speech recognition, reliable referral of more complex enquiries to staff and clear data protection rules. The tests now under way will show the actual effects on workload and levels of acceptance.
Implications and next steps: If the evaluation is positive, the approach could be extended to other facilities in Cantabria. Key considerations would then include transparent success and quality-assurance criteria, accessible design for older and more vulnerable groups, and supporting information for users. Until then, “LOLA” remains a local pilot with a limited scope at the La Maruca site in Santander.
Editor: Clara Simonichek (Article created with AI assistance).