Hockley Medical Practice, which runs The Jones Family Practice in Southend Road, Hockley, and Church View Surgery in Rayleigh High Street had been trialling the AI system known as EMMA in recent months to help manage incoming calls and improve patient access to services. In a statement on the Hockley Medical Practice and Church View Surgery Facebook page, a spokesman said: "We would like to thank everyone who took the time to share their feedback. "After carefully considering your comments, we have decided to discontinue the use of EMMA and return to a fully staffed telephone switchboard." "We appreciate your patience while we trialled this new technology and are grateful for the honest feedback we received," the added. The practices said they hope the change will result in a more "personal and responsive" experience for patients.