Transforming Digital Access: Saving 1,000 Admin Hours with SystmConnect at University Hospitals Tees
University Hospitals Tees is using SystmConnect to transform self-referral and administrative pathways across community services – giving patients and families faster, more convenient access while saving 1,000 hours of administrative time.
“SystmConnect has led to faster clinical review and increased productivity as our teams can spend more time focusing on patients.”
Rachel Briggs, Service Manager for the Specialist Services Admin Hub
Introduced through a phased rollout from December 2024, SystmConnect has supported over 18,000 submissions, with the Trust reporting that more than 18,000 patients have self-referred or contacted services. Combined with Communications Annexe, including digitised outcome measures and Patient Appointment Invitations, the Trust is using functionality within its existing SystmOne EPR to improve patient access into services and streamline the administration behind them.
At a glance
- 1,000 administrative hours saved – freeing up capacity for other work and giving teams more time to focus on patients
- Over 16,000 MSK Advanced Assessment self-referrals – giving patients a convenient digital route into the service
- More than 2,000 Community Paediatrics medication requests online – extending access beyond normal working hours, particularly for repeat medication requests
- Over 600 Podiatric Surgery self-referrals – enabling patients to access the referral pathway online
- Faster clinical review and increased productivity – with better information supporting clinical decision-making and streamlined processes benefiting patients and teams
Breaking down barriers
Previously, administration teams experienced high volumes of telephone calls, leading to long wait times and limited access outside working hours. Manual data entry and incomplete referral information also created delays in triaging patients and making clinical decisions.
The Trust wanted to transform self-referral pathways, improve patient access into services and streamline processes. With SystmOne already established as its EPR, University Hospitals Tees saw SystmConnect as a practical way to address these challenges using technology already familiar to its teams. It was straightforward to roll out across staff and services and could be embedded directly into the Trust website, providing a cost-effective way to open up digital access without relying on telephone-based processes. Patients and relatives could self-refer, submit requests and contact services at their convenience, while specific questions captured accurate information directly from patients, helping support faster clinical review and better-informed decision-making.
Transforming pathways with SystmOne
“SystmConnect gives patients digital access to services at their convenience, while capturing accurate information to help clinicians plan the best course of action. It’s confidential, secure and integrated into our existing IT systems.”
Ben Ryan, EPR Manager – Community & Neighbourhood, University Hospitals Tees
SystmConnect gives patients and relatives a confidential, secure digital route to self-refer, submit requests and contact services at their convenience, extending access beyond normal working hours. By asking specific questions during the process, it also gives clinicians accurate information directly from the patient, supporting faster review and better-informed decisions.
The transformation goes beyond SystmConnect. University Hospitals Tees is also using Communications Annexe, including digitised outcome measures and Patient Appointment Invitations to transform administrative pathways. Together, these capabilities extend the functionality available through its established SystmOne EPR, supporting a more joined-up digital approach across patient access, administration and clinical workflows.
Turning SystmOne functionality into better access
“SystmConnect has led to faster clinical review and increased productivity as our teams can spend more time focusing on patients. Patients like the system – it’s fast, efficient and saves times for both patients and our teams.”
Rachel Briggs, Service Manager for the Specialist Services Admin Hub
The phased rollout now spans specialist and children’s services and multiple community services, including but not limited to MSK physiotherapy, Community Paediatrics and Podiatric Surgery, demonstrating how the same digital approach can support different patient pathways.
For patients and families, that means a more streamlined experience and greater flexibility in how and when they access services. One patient described the process as “quick and easy”, noting how quickly they could book an appointment online after submitting a referral, with a choice of venues, dates and times.
The benefits are particularly clear in Community Paediatrics, where more than 2,000 medication requests have been made online. For repeat medication requests, digital access means families can submit what they need outside normal working hours rather than relying solely on telephone access.
The impact for teams is equally significant. Across more than 18,000 SystmConnect submissions, 1,000 hours of administrative time have been saved, freeing up capacity for other work. Better information from patients is supporting faster clinical review, while increased productivity gives teams more time to focus on patient care.
Expanding digital access
For University Hospitals Tees, the success of the phased rollout has created a clear platform for further expansion. Its advice to others is simple: don’t delay. Start with engaged admin teams and services, use training videos to support frontline staff, and be bold and ambitious in expanding service usage and scope where possible.
That ambition is already shaping the next phase. The digital team plans to roll SystmConnect out to more services and broaden its use beyond self-referrals to other interactions, including general queries. Planned integration with the NHS App will make access even easier and more convenient for patients.
The work forms part of the Trust’s wider digital transformation ambitions, bringing clinical and digital teams together to improve accessibility and modernise service delivery, while continuing to extend the value of SystmConnect across more services and patient pathways.
Read the full University Hospitals Tees story to see how SystmConnect is transforming patient access and administrative pathways across community services here.