Case study: Meadowgreen Health Centre

Meeting patient needs the same day and saving £37,000 with total triage

Meadowgreen Health Centre serves a diverse population of 19,000 patients in Sheffield. After the CQC flagged concerns about patient phone access, the practice chose to move to a system of total triage. 

Today, staff and patients are happier, DNAs are down and Meadowgreen are receiving glowing reviews.

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Impact at a glance:

95% patient requests  resolved the day they’re received

£37,000 savings estimated to date

355 fewer DNAs every year since moving to total triage

Inspired by Meadowgreen’s achievements?

There’s no magic formula to their success – just simple, easy-to-use tech. Find out how you can improve patient access with our toolkit for total triage.

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Context: a ‘call-centre’ for patients

Before 2023, staff at Meadowgreen were struggling to manage triage. With phones ringing off the hook and long phone queues, staff were burnt-out and patients were frustrated.

At the time, receptionists would log patient requests over the phone in a list on SystmOne. Two duty doctors would then work through the list, resolving requests remotely or booking appointments.

After the CQC flagged lack of phone access as an area of concern, Meadowgreen decided to change to a new total triage system – a change staff were particularly ‘nervous and apprehensive’ about.

Patients couldn’t get through on the phone. We were getting complaints from receptionists saying: “we feel like we're in a call-centre”. Staff were often left feeling demoralised and unvalued. There was no job satisfaction. It wasn't a nice environment.

Joanne Johnson, Practice Manager,
Meadowgreen Health Centre

In late 2022, Meadowgreen made the move to total triage.

The team designed a better way to manage demand

In late 2022, Meadowgreen ran training to upskill staff and reassure them about the change. They also notified patients on the practice’s websites and Facebook page, promoting the new system.

 Early the following year, the team made the switch to total triage. Now, patients get in touch using Patient Triage via the practice website, NHS App, or phone. Staff either complete the form with the patient over the phone or encourage them to do this themselves.

All requests go through to one, integrated inbox. If a request requires more information, staff either send a patient questionnaire or ask the patient to send photos. The duty doctor reviews the request, and decides on next steps, saving everything to the patient record.

We did a massive training day for two hours and spoke to all the staff. Then we went round to each team. The main thing on that first morning was supporting staff. 

We have an older member of our reception team who works full-time for us. She was really nervous because obviously it was a change. At the end of that first morning [using Patient Triage] she looked at me and she said: “I love that”.

Elaine Rissbrook, Practice Manager, 
Meadowgreen Health Centre

See how Meadowgreen’s total triage system works

The team use Accurx’s full toolkit to manage patient requests

Patient Triage and Reception Flow let the practice funnel all requests into one inbox, ready for the team to action

Staff can send SMS messages and patient questionnaires to collect data, monitor conditions and meet needs remotely

Accumail lets staff communicate quickly and easily with other NHS services, without system hopping

With Self-Book, staff can instantly send patients booking links to take the time out of appointment booking

What’s the impact been?

The practice’s new triage system has dramatically improved patient access and made long phone queues a thing of the past. Staff are enjoying better morale and no longer report feeling overworked, while patients regularly give positive feedback about the way their care is managed. With an efficient system in place, Meadowgreen can now manage all Patient Triage requests within their existing staff capacity.

355 fewer DNAs

every year since moving to total triage

95% patient requests

are now resolved on the same day they’re received

£37,000 savings

estimated by resolving more requests outside of appointments

Get started with a call - find out how we can best support your move to total triage.

Start your total triage journey

Take a look at our total triage training pack. It’s packed with insights and tips to help you find a better way to manage patient demand.

Get the patient-facing materials you need to guide patients through the change in system e.g. posters, demos, informative videos and messaging templates/user scripts.

Join the conversation about total triage as part of our Facebook community. You and your peers can share learnings and access supportive content from over 700 fellow healthcare professionals.

‘Patients love it.’

Want to know more about how Meadowgreen made the change to total triage? Then don’t miss our Q&A with Joanne Johnson (Practice Manager).

Read our Q&A with Joanne

Get on top of demand with a total triage system

Find out how your practice can improve patient access and run more smoothly with Accurx.

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