AI Assurance empowering ambient listening capability.
Client
State Government Health Department
Industry
AI, Public Sector Hospital and Health Services
Our Role
Delivery of a tailored AI Assurance review to complement a traditional Gateway Assurance review.
Services
AI Assurance
Overview.
An ambient listening project was established by an Australian state government Hospital and Health Service (HHS) to evaluate the use of artificial intelligence (AI)–enabled listen tool technology to support clinicians in outpatient consultations. The technology, known as ‘ambient listening’, uses AI-driven speech recognition and natural language processing to automatically generate consultation notes, reducing the administrative burden on clinicians and enhancing patient engagement.
The HHS initiated a structured pilot of AI vendor provided AI Scribe to ensure security, privacy, and clinical accuracy were formally assessed. The initiative forms part of HHS’s broader digital transformation program to responsibly explore the application of AI in clinical workflows.
The project was supported by Department’s progressive eHealth division, and an independent AI Assurance review was undertaken, that supported and aligned to a more AI Assurance centric review, which complimented a more traditional Gate 3 assurance review. The review was commissioned to evaluate governance, procurement integrity, information security, and readiness for broader rollout.
This was one of the first AI-assisted healthcare projects assessed against both the state government’s Assurance Framework, and the National Framework for the Assurance of Artificial Intelligence in Government, reinforcing the commitment to ethical, explainable, and accountable AI.
Requirement.
To ensure confidence in investment and deployment decisions, PM Solutions to deliver an AI Assurance (Gate 3 assurance aligned) review of the in-flight project. The review was designed to confirm that the proposed technology, governance, and delivery approach were robust, transparent, and aligned with public-sector standards for responsible AI, as well as meeting the foundation project management controls to support successful project delivery.
The review assessed the project’s readiness to proceed to contract and implementation, focusing on:
- validating the technology’s performance, security, and clinical reliability;
- evaluating the procurement and commercial arrangements for the AI solution;
- assessing information security, data privacy, and patient consent processes; and
- determining whether governance, risk management, and benefits planning were sufficient to support expansion.
PM Solutions applied its proprietary AI Assurance methodology, aligned to the National Framework for the Assurance of Artificial Intelligence in Government, ensuring that the assessment considered ethical AI principles — including fairness, transparency, accountability, and human oversight. The review also examined whether the AI system’s decision-support functions could be monitored and evaluated within appropriate governance structures.
Challenges.
Integrating AI-based listening tool into clinical workflows presented significant governance, ethical, and operational challenges. While the pilot demonstrated measurable improvements in note accuracy and clinician satisfaction, several key risks emerged, including:
- information security and privacy;
- procurement integrity;
- governance maturity;
- operational readiness; and
- ethical use and informed consent.
The project also faced resource constraints across technical and delivery teams and needed to address product-specific challenges such as custom template design for clinical specialities, tele-health/ remote-viewer health performance, and product roadmap visibility.
Outcomes.
The tailored AI Assurance review, delivered by PM Solutions, concluded that while the vendors AI-based listening tool solution demonstrated tangible clinical benefits, the project required some corrective actions before progressing to large-scale deployment.
PM Solutions provided a number of targeted recommendations that addressed procurement integrity, contract governance, information security, and ethical AI considerations. Key outcomes from the review included:
- strengthened governance;
- improved risk management;
- alignment with the National AI Assurance Framework;
- accountability and transparency; and
- structured assurance planning.
The review reinforced the value of independent AI Assurance in supporting responsible innovation across Australian Government Health Departments. By aligning the project with the National Framework for the Assurance of Artificial Intelligence in Government, PM Solutions ensured that decision makers had clear, evidence-based insights into the ethical, technical, and governance considerations required to adopt AI safely within clinical environments.
As a result, the HHS is now better positioned to refine its AI governance, ensure patient trust, and deliver digitally enabled healthcare solutions that uphold government AI standards for safety, transparency, and accountability.
