The UK's #1 transcription service

Accuro has been transcribing confidential recordings for over 20 years.  Our software has been developed around the stringent encryption standards required by the NHS.  We are proud to be certified to ISO27001, the internal standard governing data security.  We are visited annually by external auditors who review every part of our transcription, operational and technical processes. We are registered with the ICO and have an inhouse compliance team who are responsible for monitoring adherence to UK GDPR regulations. 

When you upload an audio dictation file you can choose from either transcription, speech recognition + edit or speech recognition only. This choice is available for each upload and the relevant charges apply. For more information on what type of speech to text service is suitable for your digital dictation then please click on more information in each service.     

This depends on which service you opt for.  If you choose transcription, you will be allocated a dedicated team of transcribers who will always deal with your recordings.  Transcribers are selected based on appropriate experience, so if for example you are an Orthopaedic Surgeon a team of medical secretaries who have worked in an orthopaedics department will be selected.  If you opt for speech recognition + edit your recording will be run through our speech recognition engine before being edited by a proofreader who has experience in your area of expertise. In each case the ‘human’ working on your recording will be based in the UK.

We pride ourselves on the accuracy of the transcripts we return.  Human transcription services will always be the best option, with your dedicated team being able to get used to accents, styles, interruptions etc. If however you have a budget restriction we have two other solutions that may be more useful.  Our AI solution with edit included will produce high levels of accuracy without the formatting that transcription provides.  Speech recognition alone will produce a lower level of accuracy but can still be a very useful tool if you need to quickly produce a rough draft.

Speech recognition is an improving technology. A clear, single voice can achieve circa 60%-80% accuracy in a simple block text (without the need for accurate punctuation). This requires an in-house proofread but is quick and cost effective for a rough draft.  

To achieve a commercial grade accuracy, Accuro’s speech recognition and edit service exceeds 95%, but is limited to single voice and block of text transcription. This is ideal for customers with reduced secretarial resource with the time to edit and format rather than provide a full typing service.     

Yes.  The service operates on an on-demand basis meaning you can dip in and out as often or infrequently as needed.  We do however offer discounts for large volumes or frequent uploads so it’s always worth speaking to your account manager about this.

You will receive an invoice (if work has been uploaded) weekly in arrears. Payments can be made using: 

• Direct debit 
• PayPal 

• Bank transfer 

Yes.  Accuro has always worked with transcribers here in the UK. Our ethos is to support local contractors providing them with a secure and flexible way of working.

We’d love to hear from you if you have experience in medical transcription, legal transcription or professional services transcription. Our recruitment team can guide you through the process and help you grow your panel of customers based on the areas you specialise in. To apply now, please click here.

Accuro’s transcription service is provided in any style or format you want. Your profile can hold an unlimited number of templates and you simply drag and drop/upload the audio file to your required template. If you don’t have a template requirement then we will transcribe on to Microsoft Word as the author dictates.  

Multi-voice templates can be viewed by clicking here. 

All automated speech recognition services are available in block of text formats.  

Medical transcription is part of the healthcare industry that transcribes, and edits doctor dictated reports, procedures, and notes in an electronic format. Health practitioners dictate what they have done after performing procedures, referral letters, patient notes and much more. Medical transcribers (medical typists, medical transcriptionists, etc.) transcribe the dictation, edit documents generated by speech recognition, or both.

Pertinent, up-to-date and confidential patient information is typed and documented by a medical transcriber. This text may be printed and placed in the patient’s record, retained only in its electronic format, or placed in the patient’s record (see EMIS or SystmOne) and also retained in its electronic format. Medical transcription can be performed by transcribers who are employees in a hospital, GP surgery or who work at home as freelancers for the hospital or surgery, or on behalf of an outsourced transcription service provider as contractors that perform medical transcription for a hospital, clinic, physician group or other healthcare provider.

Hospital facilities often prefer electronic storage of medical records due to the sheer volume of hospital patients and the accompanying paperwork. The electronic storage in their database gives immediate access to subsequent departments or providers regarding the patient’s care to date, notation of previous or present medications, notification of allergies, and establishes a history on the patient to facilitate healthcare delivery regardless of geographical distance or location.

The term transcript is used to refer to a healthcare professional’s document produced to keep a record, create a report for a third party, or in letter format as part of a referral, follow-up or other document. Each specific transcribed document is then combined in to the patient’s history and becomes part of the larger patient record commonly known as the patient’s medical history.

Medical transcription services encompass the medical transcriber performing document typing and formatting functions according to an established criterion or format, transcribing the spoken word of the healthcare professional on to a pre-agreed letterhead or proforma. A proper medical transcript requires correct spelling of all medical terminology and words and correcting errors in the healthcare professional’s dictation.

Outsourced medical transcription providers usually set their own requirements for their transcribers in terms of experience. Transcripts sometimes must comply with medico-legal concerns, policies and procedures, and therefore the medical transcription provider will allocate work to the most suitable medical transcriber.

In terms of data security, medical transcription service providers will have to abide by laws and regulations set out by GDPR, Data Protection Act and also other customer specific data regulations. Look out for the ISO27001 certification.

In the UK, most digital dictation is produced by and managed within dictation management systems such as Lexacom, Crescendo and BigHand. The best medical transcription service providers will offer full and free integration with these systems.

A growing number of medical providers send their digital dictation by digital voice files, utilizing a method of transcription called voice or speech recognition. Speech recognition is still a new technology that isn’t as accurate as human transcription services. For healthcare professionals to utilise speech recognition software, they must first train the program to recognise their spoken words.

Poor speech habits and problems such as heavy accents and mumbling complicate the process for both the medical transcriber and the speech recognition software. With human transcription, a transcriber can flag parts of a digital dictation as inaudible or unintelligible, but speech recognition software will transcribe these parts often leading to completely incorrect transcription or missing text.

The negatives of speech recognition technology is that sometimes, the time spent correcting a document can outweigh the benefits of a quick, rough draft document. The quality of speech recognition can range from poor (60% accuracy) to excellent (95%+ accuracy). Frequently, negative contractions and the word “not” is dropped altogether. These flaws have lead to concerns that at present, speech recognition technology could have adverse effects on accurate  patient documentation.

A new service offered by Accuro, enhanced speech recognition service, offers the benefits of speech recognition (cheap transcription services, quick turnaround, etc.) with the benefits of human medical transcription services with a human proofread. A medical transcriber will perform a proofread of the speech recognition file generated, increasing the accuracy to 99%. This allows healthcare professionals to pay less than traditional human transcription, keep costs down over hiring in-house medical secretaries, whilst still receiving the same service level of human transcription.

Medical transcription is still the primary mechanism for a healthcare professional to clearly communicate with other healthcare providers, to advise them on the state of the patient’s health, request referrals and other documentation, all whilst ensuring the high level of patient care required within a healthcare setting.

To find out more, visit our medical transcription page by clicking here.