Why Do I Need to Change My GP Phone system?

Change in Healthcare Demands

For several years now, the demand on GP practices and healthcare organisations has increased dramatically. With a larger and more aging population, the Covid pandemic and its knock-on effect, GP’s were facing an unprecedented backlog. Working as a whole, the NHS is making changes to bridge that gap, and found that the need for an updated, digital GP phone system was essential.Drawing from best practices across sectors, NHS Digital has identified that Phone Systems in GP surgeries are an area in which improvement is necessary and would have an exponential impact. There are many limitations with existing phone systems and considerable gains with new systems - providing they are the right ones. So as part of the new GP contracts, it was made a requirement to change to a pre-approved phone system over the next cycle. This requirement aims to make phone systems a benefit rather than a problem.

The Current Statistics of Patient Contacts

Post-pandemic, the NHS and healthcare sector are still recovering from the knock-on effects. Despite best efforts, the latest statistics show:

• 7.5m People on the NHS waiting list
• 55,000 calls to the NHS Daily
• 29.9m Appointments booked
• 680 Average Monday Moring calls surge in the first hour for one practice
• 50% of surgeries are sometimes unable to make outbound calls
• 60% of surgeries are not using any form of phone technology to reduce their workflow

The Patient Experience

No one likes to be kept waiting, especially when it comes to their health. But with a record-breaking influx, how is this impacting the patient experience?

81% of consumers. 23% Did not get the help they wanted. 2 hours on hold time.

Investing in GP Practices

Hundreds of billions of pounds a year are invested in making the UK health system a world leader. The NHS treats over a million patients every 36 hours.With so many people needing to communicate and in such a critical sector, investing in a reliable GP phone system can really be the difference between life and death.

AdaptivePhone - Your GP Phone System Solution

AdaptivePhone is a hosted phone system in collaboration with our partners Gamma. As one of the largest network operators in the UK, their knowledge and innovation aligns with not only our values, but also prioritises the patient experience. Their user friendly platform is easy for GPs to use and understand, as well as streamlining patient calls effectively and efficiently.

Top Phone Features of AdaptivePhone for GPS:

• Automated Call Back: Patients no longer need to wait on hold. When a patient calls, their place is stated and then is reserved. Once it is their turn, the patient will then receive a callback. As a result, this saves both time and money.
• Critical Care Call Routing: This is for vulnerable patients and those that need requirement routing. Without reservation, Adaptive Phone can quickly direct their call to the appropriate personnel to take care of the patient.
• Omnichannel Access: Not every patient wants to call a GP. With this in mind, Adaptive Phone allows for patients to choose how to contact the practice. Whether by phone, website, email, or app, Adaptive Phone provides all these options for convenience.
• Integrated Patient Records: When a patient contact the practice, their information will become readily available to any staff member. Therefore, the likelihood of any delays or frustrations are eliminated. This includes EMIS (England only) with SystemOne and Vision coming soon.

Enhance Your GP Phone System

85% of GPs have already made the switch to hosted telephony as of March 2024. Has your GP made the switch?As a company with 21 years experience in the IT & Telecoms industry and an assured supplier on the Better Purchasing Framework, we are experts in providing tailored phone system solutions. Additionally, we have passed the audit for the Data Security and Protection (DSP) Toolkit for the NHS.Our healthcare specialists can help you make the switch today! Take our FREE GP Phone Survey or visit the Commercial and Procurement Hub for more information.