Transforming Primary Care with SystmConnect
Across the UK, more and more GP practices are switching to SystmConnect, taking their online services and total triage systems to the next level. Leacroft Medical Practice in Crawley, Lisson Grove & Woolwell Medical Centre in Plymouth, and Holbrook Surgery in West Sussex, are compelling examples of how SystmConnect is transforming primary care. These practices have used SystmConnect to enhance efficiency, improve patient care and experience, and boost staff satisfaction. They are getting the widespread benefits of a unified platform, with a deep integration between their GP clinical system and total triage solution.
Leacroft Medical Practice: Streamlining Services
Before implementing SystmConnect, Leacroft Medical Practice were facing problems with their previous online consultation and triage software. The IT systems were fragmented. Staff were constantly switching between platforms, as well as copying and pasting information between them. They had difficulties keeping up with over 350 daily patient requests, compounded by their need to accommodate a large, diverse patient population, including non-English speakers, refugees, and asylum seekers.
The decision to adopt SystmConnect was primarily driven by its integrated features, as a single-platform solution for managing all the practice’s functions. The practice also knew that the ability to easily create a range of their own customised patient questionnaires would let them simplify access for their large, diverse population. They have become a model of resilience and adaptability for primary care in the region.
Key Benefits
The implementation of SystmConnect has provided many benefits for Leacroft, including:
- Maintained Open Access: The practice has been able to maintain open access during core hours and beyond, processing every single patient request, without turning anyone away.
- Improved Efficiency: The switch to SystmConnect has saved the practice 20 seconds on every single patient request. This adds up to over two hours per day – freeing this time up for staff to focus on patient care.
- Patient Empowerment: Patients now choose their appointment times through self-booking links, to fit in with their increasingly busy lives. This has reduced appointment rescheduling and the associated administrative burdens.
- Resource Planning: The data capabilities have been transformative. The practice can now anticipate demand spikes and adjust staffing more effectively.
- Staff Satisfaction: Staff at the practice have reported reduced stress levels, without the need to juggle between systems and enter the same information in two places.
Top Tip
A top recommendation from the practice is to utilise SystmConnect’s flexibility and customisation. Context can be tailored to the exact needs of a practice’s population base and local services.
Holbrook Surgery: Transforming Patient Access
Holbrook Surgery, located in West Sussex, also serves a large, diverse population, with over 16,000 registered patients. Since the pandemic, the practice has faced significant operational challenges, as patient needs surged by over 50%. Despite a long-standing reputation for providing accessible appointments within 3-4 days, the increased demand led to appointment delays extending to up to two weeks. The practice was dealing with high call volumes, with up to 600 calls on a typical Monday morning and over 100 calls waiting in the queue by 8 a.m.
To address this, Practice Manager Lisa Ellis and Advanced Nurse Practitioner Lisa Jelley sought a solution that could streamline operations, alleviate staff workload, and maintain their commitment to accessible patient care. They decided to implement SystmConnect, as an online consultation platform that offered seamless integration with their SystmOne clinical system. This integration was a critical factor for the practice, eliminating the need for additional platforms, more software installations, and complicated staff training programmes.
Key Benefits
The implementation of SystmConnect has brought several key benefits for Holbrook Surgery:
- Significant Reduction in Call Volumes: Call volumes dropped by over 50%. The number of calls waiting to be answered on a typical Monday morning dramatically reduced to just 15.
- Effective Triage with “Flow Master”: The surgery introduced a “Flow Master” system using SystmConnect. A GP, clinical administrator and receptionist work seamlessly to triage online forms together. This has proved highly effective in managing patient requests. The practice can now provide same-day appointments for urgent cases and ensure people are directed to the most appropriate team member.
- Improved Access for all Age Groups: With simple, hands-on training provided by staff, older patients were very quick to adopt the new system, helping the practice’s elderly cohort also get the benefits of improved online access.
- Increased Workplace Satisfaction: Staff members have reported a substantial improvement in workplace satisfaction. Receptionists now handle a smaller number of calls and administrative tasks are more structured. Staff morale is improved.
- Streamlined Workflow: Streamlined workflow has enabled the practice to maintain its reputation for quick appointment availability. By assigning patient queries to the appropriate team members immediately, unnecessary delays have been eliminated.
Top Tip
A top tip from Holbrook is to consider using a coordinated approach to triage – their “Flow Master” system – underpinned by SystmConnect and SystmOne. It’s help drive their call volumes down significantly and has transformed the services they deliver.
Lisson Grove & Woolwell Medical Centre: Managing Demand in Modern Primary Care
Lisson Grove & Woolwell Medical Centre, located in Plymouth, serves a patient population of 13,600 people. The practice’s patients live across a diverse range of both urban and rural areas. Before changing to SystmConnect, the practice knew that they were dealing with needless inefficiencies, caused by managing patient requests through disconnected systems. One knock on effect of this was increased levels of stress for staff, caused by inefficient working and fragmented IT.
The practice decided to adopt SystmConnect to address challenges related to fluctuating demand and administrative burdens. The staff wanted an integrated solution, without the need for third-party tools. They wanted to be able to manage demand centrally and intelligently.
Key Benefits
The implementation of SystmConnect has brought about considerable enhancements, across many critical areas for the practice:
- Improved Staff Well-being: The centralisation of patient requests on a single, integrated, easy-to-use platform has seen to a reduction in staff stress and an increase in overall morale. The practice has also seen a welcome reduction in staff sickness rates.
- Improved Demand Visibility: SystmConnect provides the practice with detailed insights into daily request patterns. This has enabled them to more effectively allocate resources to manage demand. For example, they identified that Mondays consistently experience 50% more requests than Fridays, allowing for proactive planning of staffing and other resources.
- Activity Monitoring: Activities that were previously undocumented are now tracked and reported through SystmConnect. This increase in transparency has led to a deeper understanding of demand and more effective workload management across the practice.
- Improved Communication: SystmConnect’s customisable questionnaires and priority-setting features have significantly improved communication with both patients and healthcare professionals. For instance, palliative care teams can now submit urgent requests directly to the duty doctor, ensuring that high-priority cases are dealt with promptly and efficiently.
Top Tip
Tricia Small, the Systems Manager at the practice, says that the online training resources, in TPP’s Learning Management System (LMS) are incredibly helpful. The LMS can help ensure that all staff members are fully trained and confident in using the platform before it goes live.