The implementation of a ‘check and cancel’ appointment system within the Surgery Connect cloud-telephony framework at Hall Green Health (HGH) GP practice has significantly improved patient accessibility and reduced administrative burdens.
HGH, a practice within the NHS Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group, integrated this system into their existing cloud-telephony infrastructure in March 2023. This service allows patients to verify or cancel their appointments 24 hours a day without the need for staff assistance, addressing the challenges faced by the practice in managing appointments through traditional phone calls during office hours.
Statistics from July 2024 reveal that 292 appointments were checked and 92 appointments were cancelled using the Surgery Connect system. This translated to approximately 10 hours and 53 minutes of saved time for both patients and staff. Jamal Syed, operational manager at HGH, highlighted the system’s 24/7 accessibility, particularly benefitting patients who cannot access online services during regular hours.
The positive impact of this system is evident in patient feedback, with 76.2% of users expressing willingness to use it again and 47.8% reporting time savings. This digital transformation journey is documented in a case study titled ‘Digital transformation at Hall Green Health – A model for modern general practice’, published in the Future Healthcare Journal in November 2023.
Similarly, the Sutton Coldfield Group Practice in the West Midlands has also embraced digital solutions to streamline patient triage, reducing the morning rush for appointments. Despite the cancellation of NHSE’s £300 million digital pathways framework, initiatives like the ‘Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care’ continue to prioritize improving patient access to GPs through modern general practice approaches.
Overall, advancements in telephony systems and digital tools are revolutionizing healthcare delivery, enhancing patient care and operational efficiency within GP practices.
