---
type: source
title: "NHS England AI Scribing Supplier Registry (January 2026): 19 Vendors, DTAC + MHRA Class 1 Required — OpenEvidence Absent"
author: "NHS England / Digital Health Network"
url: https://www.digitalhealth.net/2026/01/nhs-england-launches-supplier-registry-for-ai-scribing-tech/
date: 2026-01-16
domain: health
secondary_domains: [ai-alignment]
format: news
status: processed
priority: high
tags: [nhs-dtac, clinical-ai-safety, regulatory-compliance, openevidence, ambient-scribing, mhra, supplier-registry, uk-healthcare, belief-5]
---

## Content

NHS England published a self-certified supplier registry for AI-enabled ambient scribing (Ambient Voice Technology, AVT) on January 16, 2026. The registry was announced in early 2025 and launched following an open application process.

**Registry requirements for suppliers:**
- Completion of NHS DTAC (Digital Technology Assessment Criteria) assessment
- MHRA Class 1 Medical Device registration with evidence of post-market surveillance
- Proven impact and experience in healthcare environments
- Integration with existing NHS digital infrastructure
- Scalability
- Evidence of meeting stated clinical capabilities

**The 19 registered vendors (as of January 2026):**
33n, Accurx, Anathem, Aprobrium (Lexacom), Beam Up, Corti, Dictate IT, eConsult, HealthOrbit AI, Heidi Health, Lyrebird Health, Microsoft Dragon, Optum (EMIS), Pungo t/a Joy, Scribetech, Tandem, Tortus, T-Pro, X-On Health.

**Applications reopened February 3, 2026, and remain open indefinitely.**

**NHS DTAC V2 update (February 24, 2026):** NHS England published an updated DTAC form with 25% fewer questions, de-duplicated with DSPT and pre-acquisition questionnaire. Deadline: ALL NHS digital health tool procurement must use the new form from April 6, 2026.

**NHS England April 2025 guidance on AI-enabled ambient scribing:** Mandates full clinical safety case (DCB0160), Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA), MHRA medical device determination, DTAC compliance.

**OpenEvidence "Visits" context:** In August 2025, OE launched "Visits" — a documentation tool that auto-generates clinical notes from patient encounters AND enriches notes with evidence-based guidelines. This is a hybrid documentation+CDSS tool that would need DTAC + MHRA Class 1 to be formally deployed in NHS settings. OE is **not on the 19-vendor registry.** OE's public website contains **no DTAC assessment and no MHRA registration evidence.**

## Agent Notes

**Why this matters:** The NHS supplier registry is the regulatory forcing function I hypothesized in Session 11. It's now operational: 19 vendors have met DTAC + MHRA Class 1 requirements. OpenEvidence "Visits" (documentation tool launched August 2025) would directly compete with tools on this registry — but OE has not completed the required compliance steps. OE's stated 2026 UK expansion plans require DTAC compliance for any NHS deployment. This creates a choice point for OE: formalize UK compliance (and thereby disclose clinical safety data) or remain UK individual-clinician only (informal use, not NHS-reimbursed).

**What surprised me:** OE's absence from the registry despite "Visits" being a clear ambient scribing competitor. The 19-vendor registry includes Microsoft Dragon and Accurx (major players) — OE would be a meaningful addition if it were compliance-ready. Its absence suggests either: (a) OE has not prioritized UK compliance, or (b) OE has not completed DTAC assessment, or (c) OE is pursuing UK expansion through a different channel. Option (b) is consistent with all prior findings.

**What I expected but didn't find:** Any indication that OE has initiated a DTAC assessment or MHRA Class 1 registration process in anticipation of UK expansion. No press release from OE about EU or UK regulatory compliance has been found across 12 sessions.

**KB connections:**
- Directly relevant to OE model opacity finding (Sessions 8-11): DTAC compliance REQUIRES clinical safety case disclosure — this is the mechanism that could force the transparency the research literature has demanded
- Connects to NHS England's April 2025 ambient scribing guidance (DCB0160/0129) — OE Visits falls within scope
- Extends the regulatory track finding from Session 11 to a more concrete level: 19 vendors already complied; OE has not
- The DTAC V2 April 6 deadline (13 days from today) codifies the new form but doesn't create new substantive requirements — it's a procedural update

**Extraction hints:**
- Primary claim: "NHS England's January 2026 AI scribing supplier registry established DTAC completion and MHRA Class 1 registration as compliance requirements for clinical AI documentation tools in NHS settings — OpenEvidence 'Visits' is absent despite being a direct category competitor"
- Secondary claim: "DTAC assessment requires clinical safety case (DCB0160) disclosure — making NHS deployment an indirect forcing function for clinical AI safety transparency that market incentives have not produced"
- This is the UK regulatory equivalent of the EU AI Act (August 2026) for documentation tools specifically

**Context:** NHS England is the executive body of the NHS in England, responsible for overseeing and commissioning health services. DTAC is its baseline digital governance standard. MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority) is the UK equivalent of FDA for medical devices.

## Curator Notes
PRIMARY CONNECTION: Session 11 regulatory track finding — NHS DTAC compliance is an observable forcing function
WHY ARCHIVED: Provides concrete evidence that the NHS regulatory compliance mechanism is operational (19 vendors), and that OE is choosing not to comply despite clear competitive incentive
EXTRACTION HINT: Focus on OE's conspicuous absence from registry + what DTAC compliance would require (clinical safety disclosure) — this is the structural gap claim
