The Background
306 Medical Centre, located in East Dulwich, London, has been serving its community for over 100 years with a patient population of approximately 6,600. The practice comprises four part-time GPs, two trainees, pharmacists, an Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP), and nurses. They joined the Intermediate Practice Level Support of the General Practice Improvement Programme (GPIP) to enhance operational efficiencies and maximise clinical time.
The Problem
The practice identified that their communication processes, particularly in handling patient correspondence and administrative tasks, were consuming significant clinical time. Clinicians were spending considerable hours reviewing and processing patient communications, impacting direct patient care.
The Solution
Through the GPIP, 306 Medical Centre implemented strategic improvements to streamline communication processes:
- Introduced a structured document processing guide to triage patient communications effectively.
- Established clear roles and responsibilities for administrative staff, enhancing their capability to manage communications and freeing up clinical time.
- Implemented a digital telephony system, ‘Surgery Connect’, to improve telephone communication efficiency.
Conclusion
306 Medical Centre plans to expand their staff portfolio by recruiting a multi-functional Care Coordinator to further support staff and patient needs. They will continue to evaluate and refine their processes to ensure sustained improvements in patient care and operational efficiency.
By implementing these changes, 306 Medical Centre has successfully optimised their communication processes, enabling more effective use of clinical resources and enhancing patient satisfaction across their practice sites.