Free guide for physios
Draft session notes with Heidi's free plan, with patient consent
Steps written from Heidi Health's help pages on 20 Oct 2026; we'll walk them through in a live account and add screenshots.
What you'll have at the end
A draft note from each session, written by Heidi with the patient's consent, that you check before it goes into your patient records.
Time needed
About 45 minutes to set up and run a practice session, with a colleague or friend playing the patient using made-up details.
Cost
£0 on Heidi's free plan. Some features are limited on the free plan; Heidi's pricing page lists them. Checked on 20 Oct 2026 (source 5).
Free tier: Yes.
Before you start
- A free Heidi account, from Heidi's website.
- A laptop or phone with a working microphone and a steady internet connection.
- The headings you usually use for notes, so you can pick the closest Heidi template.
- The checks in 'Clinical and data protection' below, done before you use Heidi with a patient.
Clinical and data protection
- Get the patient's consent before you use an AI scribe in a session.
- Check every note yourself before it goes into the record. HCPC record-keeping standards still apply.
- Check Heidi's UK GDPR terms and complete a DPIA (data protection impact assessment) before you use it with patients.
- Never put patient-identifiable data into general chatbots such as ChatGPT.
- Any screenshots we add to this guide will use demo patients only.
Your measurements card
Fill in the measurements card once: ten short lines about your business, such as your opening hours, your tone and how you sign off. Every prompt below starts with it, so the drafts sound like you.
Steps
-
Check your microphone and internet connection before you start.
Where: Your laptop or phone's built-in microphone, or an external one; wifi or mobile data
From source 2
-
Open Scribe and start a practice session with made-up patient details.
Where: Left-hand menu > Scribe > add patient details
Example screenshot to come. It will show: The Scribe session window with a made-up demo patient. -
Choose the template closest to how you write notes.
Where: Session window > Templates
Example screenshot to come. It will show: The Templates list with a physiotherapy-style template highlighted. You'll know it worked when your chosen template shows in the session.
From source 2
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Add anything you want Heidi to read alongside the session, such as a referral letter. For practice, use made-up documents only.
Where: Context tab
Example screenshot to come. It will show: The Context tab with a made-up referral note. -
Check the green waveform is showing next to the transcribe button.
Where: Next to Start Transcribing
Example screenshot to come. It will show: The green waveform beside the Start Transcribing button. You'll know it worked when the waveform moves when you speak.
From source 1
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Ask the patient for consent to use an AI scribe before you start. If your clinic uses a Heidi team account, an administrator can switch on a consent pop-up that appears at the start of each session.
Where: Before you select Start Transcribing
Example screenshot to come. It will show: The consent pop-up at the start of a session, on a team account with it switched on. -
Start the session.
Where: Start Transcribing (the green button)
Example screenshot to come. It will show: A session in progress, with the waveform and timer running. You'll know it worked when the waveform and timer show it's transcribing.
From source 1
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Say your findings out loud as you go. Heidi can only write up what it hears.
Where: During the session
From source 1
-
Finish transcribing when the session ends.
Where: Session window > finish transcribing
Example screenshot to come. It will show: The note being generated after the session. You'll know it worked when the draft note appears in the Note tab, in your chosen template.
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Read the whole note against what happened, and correct anything wrong or missing.
Where: Note tab; the Transcript tab shows exactly what was captured
Example screenshot to come. It will show: The Note tab and Transcript tab side by side, demo patient only. From source 1
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If the note is too long or too short, change the detail level.
Where: Scribe settings > detail level (Brief, Goldilocks, Detailed or Super Detailed)
Example screenshot to come. It will show: The detail level options in Scribe settings. From source 1
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Copy the checked note into the system you keep patient records in.
Where: Copy the note, then paste it into WriteUpp, Cliniko or whichever system you use
Example screenshot to come. It will show: The checked demo note selected for copying. From source 1
-
Run two or three more practice sessions before you use Heidi with a patient.
Where: Scribe > new session
From source 1
Ready-to-paste prompts
These are for a general chatbot such as ChatGPT. They use only your business details from the measurements card. Never add patient details.
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1. A waiting-room notice
Use my measurements card below. Write a short, plain-English notice for my waiting room saying I may use an AI scribe called Heidi to help write session notes, that I'll always ask first, and that patients can say no. Under 80 words, in my tone. [paste your measurements card]
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2. How to ask in the room
Use my measurements card below. Write two friendly sentences I can say at the start of a session to ask a patient if they're happy for me to use an AI scribe to help write my notes. Keep it in my tone. [paste your measurements card]
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3. A line for booking emails
Use my measurements card below. Write one short line for my booking confirmation email saying I may ask to use an AI note-taking tool in sessions and will always ask first. [paste your measurements card]
Common snags
- If there's no green waveform, check your microphone is connected and allowed in your browser, then test it again. (source 1, source 2)
- If the note misses something you did, you probably didn't say it out loud. Add it yourself, or use dictation to speak it into the note. (source 1)
- If the note's layout doesn't suit you, switch templates and regenerate the note. (source 1)
- If your internet connection drops, the Heidi mobile app can run sessions offline. (source 2)
- If the patient says no, don't start transcribing. Write your notes the way you usually do. (source 4)
Before you rely on it
General guidance, not professional, legal or clinical advice. Check the vendor's current terms. Not affiliated with Heidi Health.
Sources
- Heidi Help: Complete your first session (opens in a new tab)
- Heidi Help: Getting started with Heidi II (opens in a new tab)
- Heidi Help: Admins, manage your team (opens in a new tab)
- Heidi Help: Obtaining patient consent (opens in a new tab)
- Heidi: UK pricing (opens in a new tab)
- HCPC: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics (opens in a new tab)
- ICO: Data protection impact assessments (opens in a new tab)
Spotted something out of date?
Last checked: . Menus and prices change. If something here doesn't match what you see, report a change and we'll recheck it.
Changelog
- : First version, written from Heidi's help pages. Screenshots to come after a walkthrough in a live account, with demo patients only.
The full Physio Kit
We're putting together the full Physio Kit: all three physio guides, the ‘same settings in other apps’ sections, more ready-to-paste prompts and a one-page chart of which app fits you. It isn't ready yet.