Why We Moved to SystmOne – How a Modern EPR System Saved Us Time and Money
By Daniel Gill, Operations Manager, Veritas Health Centre
The pressures facing General Practice today are immense, particularly the need to deliver high-quality preventative care while working seamlessly across Primary Care Networks (PCNs).
The Mathews Practice and Veritas Health Centre, which serves approximately 8,000 patients, and the wider Heeley Plus PCN – comprising seven practices and roughly 40,000 patients – operational cohesion is vital.
Previously, we previously struggled with disconnected clinical systems across our sites, which forced staff to work in silos, logging in and out of different platforms. This led to frequent system crashes, administrative delays, and frustration for both our team and our patients. Our decision to migrate entirely to TPP SystmOne has transformed our operation into a unified, efficient organisation where technology finally works as hard as our staff do. This means
Configurability: Shaping the System to Our Practice
The most significant advantage of SystmOne is its flexibility to be shaped around local needs. Unlike other clinical systems that offer a rigid experience, SystmOne allows us to control and customise core digital tools to perfectly align with our workflows.
As we found during our transformation:
“The primary driver for our move was the unmatched configurability of SystmOne. Unlike other platforms that offer a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, SystmOne allows us to shape the digital environment to align with our workflows especially around chronic condition management.”
By configuring reporting and analytics, we can now precisely identify eligible patient cohorts for targeted outreach. We have developed integrated end-to-end pathways for chronic condition recall, ensuring clinicians and administrators have the right information at the right time to streamline appointments.
At the Forefront of Innovation
Practices at the leading edge of digital transformation value SystmOne’s suite of advanced tools that are constantly evolving through TPP’s continuous investment. Visualisation dashboards sit directly within the system, allowing our teams to see the exact next steps for a patient and manage their journey end-to-end with clear, actionable data. Furthermore, the system continues to advance with improvements in document management and emerging AI capabilities, which are designed to automate mundane tasks, like processing letters, allowing our team to focus on proactive care.
Unrivalled Multi-Site and PCN Working
SystmOne acts as a vital digital connector across providers, facilitating true integrated working across neighbourhood teams. For multi-site organisations like ours, the functionality is transformative.
“SystmOne has unrivalled functionality for shared working. I would recommend SystmOne to all surgeries; if surgeries have multiple sites, then the shared access can enhance the system’s usage and will benefit both staff and patients.”
Since our migration, we have a single view of the practice where we can access patient records across all sites and view clinical rotas in one place. This integration extends to PCN partners and non-GP organisations, ensuring that patient care is standardised and coordinated across the entire healthcare landscape. Our staff have felt the difference:
“Working as a single team across multiple sites used to feel impossible, but shared access has turned our staff into one unified workforce that can support any patient, anywhere.”
Reliability and Financial Value: No More “Bolt-Ons”
In a fast-paced clinical environment, cloud-based technology and system reliability are essential. Unlike our previous systems which suffered from functionality issues and regular crashes, SystmOne has proven to be fast and dependable, protecting valuable staff time.
Crucially, in a world where the NHS is strapped for cash, SystmOne offers a unique financial advantage: everything is available “out-of-the-box.” We no longer have to pay for expensive third-party “bolt-ons” for communication, analytics, or patient outreach.
“This solution has proved reduced costs – Not only is the system faster to use, it allows us to centralise administrative tasks at a single site for the entire organisation.”
Streamlining Access with SystmConnect and Total Triage
Managing patient demand is a priority for any modern practice, and the practice’s planned introduction of SystmConnect and Total Triage will be a game-changer. These tools have streamlined patient access and significantly reduced avoidable demand. By gathering key health data via digital communication routes—such as pre-visit digital questionnaires—before a patient even attends the surgery, we plan to cut down administrative handling and significantly reduced communication times even further.
A Platform for the Future
My advice to any practice or PCN hesitant about migrating is simple: Do it. The transition is supported by dedicated deployment teams who are on hand to help and advice throughout. The long-term benefits of a connected, efficient way of working are clear. Moving to SystmOne has not just given us a new clinical system; it has provided the innovative, integrated platform we need to thrive in modern general practice.