In February, GP’s in England received an additional £889m in funding from the government, specifically to eliminate the 8am GP appointment scramble and to restore the family doctor, ensuring patients receive more consistent and accessible care.
Responding to the announcement, Daisy’s CEO Dave McGinn, commented, “This is great news for GP’s and the public. After speaking with GP’s, we found that traditional phone systems often struggle to meet the needs of fast-paced and dynamic modern healthcare organisations such as GP practices and primary care networks (PCN’s). This can lead to inefficiencies, missed calls and patient dissatisfaction, especially during the 8am rush.”
James Gargaro, Head of Health Sales at Daisy, added, “A key challenge we see in GP practices is long wait times and poor call queue systems. We believe the issue doesn’t lie with the practices themselves but rather with the technology and suppliers who fail to deliver the correct solutions due to a lack of understanding of general practice needs.”
Designed to support GP practices, PCNs and Integrated Case Boards, the Daisy Patient Partner is a cutting-edge AI Virtual Care Navigator that enhances patient access to primary care. Available 24/7, 365 days a year, this integrated AI platform streamlines patient interactions, ensuring faster and more efficient access to their family doctor.
For less than the cost of a single staff member, the Patient Partner can handle the workload of five to ten employees. From booking appointments and ordering repeat prescriptions to scheduling vaccines, blood pressure checks and handling routine enquiries, the AI platform frees up staff to focus on delivering the highest quality of patient care.
By leveraging Daisy’s experience and resources in the health sector, the platform optimises call handling for greater patient satisfaction and retention. Its self-service call features enable patients to manage their needs independently, reducing administrative burdens on practices. This innovation helps GP practices meet increasing demands while maximising opportunities presented by the NHS Recovery Plan, which was launched in 2022.
Saeed Sheikh, Chief Operating Officer at Daisy, shared his enthusiasm, “Here at Daisy, we work with a diverse customer segment, ranging from micro-SMEs to complex call centres and everything in between, including specialising in the health vertical across the UK. Our goal is to Keep Britain Working and when it comes to the health sector, the NHS, we are here to give you the infrastructure to make sure you can do the job that you need to do.”
Dr Naveed Akhtar, Senior GP Partner at Chigwell Medical Practice and Clinical Lead at Daisy, added, “When you approach any other telephony company, no matter what they say to you and how shiny their product is, you’re being sold a product by a salesman who doesn’t really understand the industry or the unique complexities of general practice. With Daisy, they understand general practice, what GP’s need and what patients are expecting. I’m proud to say that we’ve created a product that’s tailored to general practise and that genuinely works.”
By using Patient Partner, GP practices found that with 10,000 patients on average, Daisy’s Patient Partner saved their staff over 150 hours a month answering calls, allowing them to focus on critical care.
Dr Naveed Akhtar, continued, “Within my own practice, we found that when we implemented the Patient Partner, patients adopted the system and were more likely to use it again. For example, booking a flu jab, where normally we have 20 to 30 of them per day, we can divert those calls, allowing for a better patient experience because they aren’t waiting in call lines to speak to a receptionist. They get an answer straight away and book a time that is convenient to them. We have also found that our staff are less pressured because they are getting less calls coming in. The feedback from patients and staff has been incredibly positive!”
As a dedicated telecoms company, Daisy supplies specialist engineers on-hand to ensure a hassle-free journey to installation and beyond. Their industry-certified field engineering team operates right across the UK, carrying out site surveys, installation, maintenance and training. You can trust them to deliver a seamless transition at the point of changeover.
Book a Demo today and discover how the Patient Partner can transform your healthcare communication and beat the 8am GP appointment scramble.
About Daisy
Daisy is the largest independent specialist telecommunications provider delivering telecoms solutions to UK businesses. Technology led, people driven, and focused on the future, Daisy delivers telecoms solutions for UK businesses. From the total comms package for SoHo customers to a complex call centre solution and everything in between – Daisy offer businesses every telecoms solution they need, all supported by a team of individuals based in the UK who know the ins and outs of great customer service and the support needed to empower SMEs to keep Britain working.