X-on Develops 'One Number' Contact System to Support GP COVID-19 Vaccine Push

X-onUK cloud telephony specialist X-on is supporting wide regional networks of GP practices to manage COVID-19 vaccination programmes with a simple contact system for patients to book a vaccination.

X-on has rapidly developed a softphone version of its cloud-based Surgery Connect healthcare phone system to enable Primary Care Networks to provide patients with a single dedicated number and support process for booking an appointment at community vaccination hubs.

The number is being made available for patients contacting vaccination centres set up by local PCNs, and through softphone technology will immediately identify to GP practice staff the purpose of the call and help direct and manage it.

The X-on system, initially introduced by PCNs in Worcestershire, Warwickshire and areas of London ahead of wider roll-out, offers an automatic phone call or SMS function to send out appointment details and reminders. With many of the first cohort of vaccination recipients relying on landlines, this service ensures they receive necessary updates - which may be missed with SMS alone - and directly connects them to the appointment booking service so that they do not have to call back to book in.

Surgery Connect also integrates closely with EMIS Web and SystmOne clinical systems, resulting in a more efficient contact process between patients and practices.

Holly Johnson, Operations Supervisor at South Worcestershire GP federation SW Healthcare, said: "PCNs are starting to roll out vaccinations in parts of the UK in the knowledge that the demand will be considerable. As a result, we are doing all we can to ensure that they are equipped as best they can be for the inevitable influx of essential communication between GPs and patients.

"The software provided by X-on will play a key role in helping our staff to manage vaccinations throughout our local population. Booking patient appointments, for example, will form one of the earliest phases of the process. If we can ensure that communication is handled effectively at this stage, it paves the way for a much smoother and more effective system overall."

Paul Bensley, managing director of X-on, said: "The nation is embarking on the largest vaccination programme for a generation, presenting significant challenges and pressures for every specialty within medical care.

"Our contact system has been designed based on our close work with GPs and the primary care sector so that it works to the advantage of those at the heart of organising the community vaccination programmes. Our approach also provides flexibility so in the event of high demand and call volume at one practice, another practice within the local network can take the call and manage the process."

The development of a softphone version of Surgery Connect, which provides sophisticated cloud-based appointment and consultation systems to help manage the COVID-19 vaccination programme, is the latest enhancement to X-on’s support for primary care.

Last year it announced that it was developing a new softphone app that would mean patient calls to their GP are free and in turn reduce the cost to GPs and practices for outgoing calls by around 75%. The app is due for roll out in February 2021.

Following this, X-on developed its GP@Home service at the start of the pandemic, enabling doctors to provide patients with the same level of phone and video care from their own home as they would from their surgery. It also developed technology for GPs to switch from phone to video consultation in a single click.

About X-on

X-on is a pioneer of cloud telephony, and was named as the UK Technology/ Digital Solution Provider of the Year in the 2019 General Practice Awards for its Surgery Connect product. In 2020 we won the Best VoIP Software and Best VoIP Vertical Solution categories in the Internet Telephony Services Providers’ Association (ITSPA) awards. With over 20 years' experience, we have worked with thousands of customers across many industries to deliver simple communications choices to benefit their business. We work with healthcare professionals to provide cost-effective communications systems such as Surgery Connect, which is tailored to their needs, and allows them to spend time and money on what matters most - patients.

Most Popular Now

Collective Intelligence can Help Reduce …

An estimated 250,000 people die from preventable medical errors in the U.S. each year. Many of these errors originate during the diagnostic process. A powerful way to increase diagnostic accuracy...

Software Created from 'Building Blo…

New 'building-block' approaches to the creation of digital tools which include data and artificial intelligence (AI) could play a key role in improving the running of hospital wards and disease...

How could Technology Better Support Pati…

The NHS exists to serve patients. But more could be done to make their experience a key focus when it comes to technology adoption, senior NHS delegates told a recent...

"Showtime" for Digital Health …

13 - 16 November 2023, Düsseldorf, Germany. A hundred start-ups and more than 120 high-calibre professional speakers: These are just the "naked" facts which this year's MEDICA CONNECTED HEALTHCARE FORUM will...

Artificial Intelligence: Unexpected Resu…

Artificial intelligence (AI) is on the rise. Until now, AI applications generally have "black box" character: How AI arrives at its results remains hidden. Prof. Dr. Jürgen Bajorath, a cheminformatics...

Philips Program Developing AI-Powered Ul…

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced it has received a second round of funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to...

CGM Continues to Drive Digitization in H…

CompuGroup Medical SE & Co. KGaA (CGM), one of the world's leading e-health providers, successfully progressed the digitization in healthcare during the first three quarters in 2023. CGM supports physicians...

Wolverhampton's New 10-Year EPR Dea…

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) has just signed a 10-year contract with System C for an integrated electronic patient record (EPR) system, which will replace the trust's in-house built...

Printed Robots with Bones, Ligaments, an…

3D printing is advancing rapidly, and the range of materials that can be used has expanded considerably. While the technology was previously limited to fast-curing plastics, it has now been...

Orchestrating the New World of AI in Hea…

Orion Health's UK and Ireland Customer Conference 2023 focused on the future potential and immediate, practical application of AI to healthcare - and gave delegates a first look at the...

Researchers Take New AI Approach to Anal…

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and SciLifeLab in Sweden have combined artificial intelligence (AI) techniques used in satellite imaging and community ecology to interpret large amounts of data from tumour tissue...

AI identifies Non-Smokers at High Risk f…

Using a routine chest X-ray image, an artificial intelligence (AI) tool can identify non-smokers who are at high risk for lung cancer, according to a study being presented next week...