GP Surgeries and their staff are at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic, risking themselves daily in support of the community they serve. With enforced surgery closures and instructions to transition to telephone or video call triaging, the risks may have reduced yet the pressure is increasing.

When it comes to communications, surgeries depend on reliable, uninterrupted service and need a robust solution that can flex as often as they are having to as the advice changes daily.

Challenges surgeries are facing:

• Needing additional lines or licenses on the telephone system to support more outbound calling.
• Solutions to reduce the increased pressure on inbound call handlers as patients call in for advice/support over and above typical volumes.
• Adhering to the strict self-isolation and social distancing guidance issued by the government meaning staff are unable to work from the surgery premises therefore requiring remote working capabilities.

Solutions available:

• Adding or repurposing existing lines (to facilitate the increased outbound traffic)Organisation and NHS England.
• Applying an integration solution;

1. Outbound call features support the GPs when triaging and speed up outbound communications with ‘click to dial’, which eradicates mis-dialling and time taken to locate the number and press the buttons.
2. Inbound call features such as record popping, new number capture and system alerts (particularly those for at risk COVID-19 patients) give the call handlers all the information they need upfront to save time and aide the patient experience at this unsettling time of increased uncertainty.

• Utilising mobile apps or softphones to support remote working;

1. Users can make triage calls from anywhere via a mobile device or laptop
2. App is programmed to present the surgery number
3. Mobile App compatible with Android and iOS devices
4. Desktop App compatible with Windows and Mac devices
5. Calls can be recorded
6. Functionality for conference and video calling
7. Multiple layers of disaster recovery (if the mobile networks are congested, users can still make calls via data on 4G or Wi-fi

• Facilitating stand-alone video calling whereby surgeries are provided with downloadable software that enables video meetings and appointments to happen with the end user simply connecting a webcam and obtaining access through their web-browser.

Saving time and improving efficiency will be critical throughout this pandemic – practices must be supported with fast-turnaround and temporary solutions that have long term benefits. These unprecedented circumstances are exactly that, but as a country we will be more prepared for minor threats than ever before when we’ve recovered from this and perhaps place more importance on exhaustive solutions as standard; systems with multiple layers of disaster recovery built in and more comprehensive continuity such as remote working capabilities.

Author: Premier Patient Line