Integra ICT Testimonials

Barbara Whaley

Integra ICT

Gateshead Close

Sandy

Bedfordshire

SG19 1RS

2nd

March 2009

Dear Barbara

Re: Technical Support from Integra ICT

We have used the services of Integra ICT for technical support of our telephone system since 2005.

I have found the quality of their service to be of a consistently high standard. Problems with our system

are few and far between but we sometimes find the requirement for a programming or configuration

change and these are always dealt with politely, promptly and efficiently.

Yours sincerely

Antony Cox

Managing Director

Radbrook Green Surgery

1 of 4

Bank Farm Road,

Shrewsbury,

Shropshire,

SY3 6DU.

Tel: 01743-363133

Fax: 01743-344099

E-mail: [email protected]

Integra ICT Case Study

Hanging on the telephone?

-GP surgery puts patients in charge of appointment booking radically transforming patient care

and improving Practice efficiency -

The days of patients not getting through on the telephone to book appointments with their GP, or

even failing to get an appointment that suits them, have long gone at Radbrook Green GP surgery

in Shropshire.

Today this surgery, responsible for the health of some 9,500 people, has all but eradicated one of

the biggest issues in primary healthcare in the UK – not being able to book an appointment.

Through the effective use of technology some two thirds of patients are now reporting far faster

booking times and over 80% are getting appointments that suit them first time.

Customer Profile

Established in 1989 Radbrook Green GP surgery currently has 9,500 patients on its Practice list.

This Shropshire based doctors’ surgery has always strived to uphold the very highest standards of

clinical excellence through a key set of core values shared among partners and members of staff

alike.

It strives to achieve:

• To be the best GP Practice

• To ensure the working environment is enjoyable for its staff

• High levels of patient satisfaction

• High levels of job satisfaction

• Positive patient feedback

• Good communication links and networks for patients

“With so many people relying on their GP surgery for counsel and care, the meeting of patients’

and fellow physicians’ requests in a timely and succinct manner is of paramount importance to the

healthcare sector, stated ACJ Marriott, Practice Manager, Radbrook Green.

Radbrook Green Surgery

2 of 4

“We have a broad patient list and in close proximity to a number of critical healthcare institutions

such as the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, and the Shropshire County Primary Care Trust itself. We

are pledged to improve the patient experience with the Radbrook Green Surgery, as well as

ensure that other healthcare providers in the area can communicate with our professional team of

GPs and Practice Nurses in a timely and effective manner,” continued ACJ Marriott.

An annual patient questionnaire forms the backbone of improved patient/surgery communications

and has increasingly over the years acted as the key vehicle for patients to air their concerns over

the level and quality of service they experience.

In recent years one key issue was consistently raised, and one many in the UK will find familiar –

the quality of the telephone system and patient frustration at an apparent inability to get through

to book an appointment that would suit them.

The GP is quite often our first port of call and with working parents in particular, you often do not

want to be waiting for ages for consultation. It is a familiar picture across the country that by the

time you have your appointment the chances are that whatever you may have had, had in fact

gone!

“Back in October 2008, Radbrook had installed a new auto-attendant phone service. It served six

incoming lines, which were in turn supported by three receptionists,” commented ACJ Marriott.

“Subsequent research appeared to indicate that this was a significant improvement on what was

there before!

Throughout 2008/9 the UK was on high alert thanks to a number of epidemics such as Swine Flu.

According to the NHS itself an epidemic is classed as such if 200 per 100,000 head of population

has visited a GP with symptoms in any one week. During peak periods of flu, especially in the

winter months, the demands on not only the surgery, but its supporting infrastructure can be

reach breaking point.

“During the first Swine Flu the surgery was inundated with calls on a daily basis, whilst on the

other hand, the sound of the dial tone became as common to patients,” commented ACJ Marriott.

The knock on effect of delays in managing telephone calls and booking appointments also meant

that members of staff were having to juggle clinical duties in order to handle endless complaints

which blocked the telephone lines further still.

Radbrook Green Surgery

3 of 4

It was against this background that Integra ICT presented its Patient Access System, an

automated appointment-booking system to Shrewsbury Practice Managers in May 2010.

Solution

Integra ICT is a 35-person strong telecoms company, which provide communication and

technology services for over 3000 companies in the UK. Through partnerships with well-known

brands like Siemens and Mitel, Integra has built up a large repertoire of customers and valuable

industry experience.

Integra ICT was selected to install its patient access system to help the surgery’s staff manage

the appointment booking process, ultimately putting the process in the hands of its customers in

turn – the patient!.

After an initial period where receptionists were required to support patients with how to use the

system and confirm and correct their telephone numbers for caller identification, the need to

answer telephone calls in person diminished significantly.

With nearly 3000 successful patient bookings taking place in its first two months following

implementation the patient access system has got off to a flying start. Furthermore, the surgery’s

continuous programme of patient consultation has already found generous support from the local

community.

“Naturally, when we introduced the system with its inherent need for patients to dial numbers we

had a mixed response from patients. We expected some resistance to the idea of having to punch

into the phone details such as patient identification numbers and personal security numbers but

through training and direct experience of the new system patients have come round to the new

system. By mid-August the practice found that criticism and complaint had tailed off,” stated Elliot

Crosby Integra ICT.

Staff Benefits:

• Improved reception capacity

• Team no longer behind with clinical tasks such as repeat prescriptions and referrals

• Reduced stress levels

• Staff morale at an all time high

Radbrook Green Surgery

4 of 4

Patient Benefits

Following a survey of patients after the implementation found that:

• 66% of patients found appointment bookings were speedier

• 86% found they were offered more convenient appointment dates and times

• 56% got to see the specific doctor/nurse they were after

• 59% could speak to a doctor or nurse over the phone immediately

“After having had little to no experience with this kind of system before we were amazed at how

quick and easy it was to master. Patients can now book the right appointment with the right

doctor, with minimal fuss, while no longer having to listen to the dreaded dial-tone or even worse

being put on hold. On top of that, our staff were at a great deal more liberty to help patients with

their needs with a lot more care and less strain,” stated ACJ Marriott.

Conclusion

“For staff this has been an unprecedented success, and has immeasurably improved the working

environment. As time goes on we are looking at developing the system further still, building in the

ability to order repeat prescriptions, and a new Smart Mail System, allowing patients to receive

appropriate mail, further assisting staff efficiency.

There is some way to go to convince all of our patients of the benefits of the Patient Access

System, but the first steps have been very encouraging. We will continue to update our patients

through our newsletter and will seek further patient feedback,” concluded ACJ Marriott.

ACJ MARRIOTT MCMI

Practice Manager

Radbrook Green Surgery

16th August 2011 Alexandra, a leading International provider of corporate clothing, is a company enjoying significant growth and has set itself challenging targets for the future. We expect our suppliers to share and meet these challenges to ensure our mutual success. From the outset Integra ICT, through its consultative approach, displayed a keen interest to understand fully our business requirements. Our project had a number of particular challenges so our partner selection was vital to the success of the installation. We required new systems to integrate with existing legacy PABX as well as giving a seamless technology migration, while demonstrating the ability of the solution to “scale” to meet our growth expectations. Time-scales were challenging and it was essential that the project was delivered on-time and at the agreed price with no hidden “extras”. Integra ICT’s professionalism and attention to detail gave us confidence that these objectives would be met and we were satisfied that they delivered on their commitments to us. The process through “go-live” was well managed and the ongoing support we’ve received has met our exacting standards. Ed Grigg Head of Customer Operations Alexandra