What is the challenge your project is going to address and how does it connect to the theme of 'How can improvement be used to reduce delays accessing health and care services'?

Around 90% of PALS enquiries and complaints about dermatology at the Trust is about patients’ inability to reach the service by phone.

Currently, the Trust is unable to monitor and report on performance for individuals or teams as a whole in terms of numbers of calls take and timeliness of response. This makes it hard to deliver evidence-based improvement, with actions linked to drivers of current position.

The proposal is to pilot a system that provides real-time reporting and the ability to understand and address the drivers of current access issues.

Once performance is adequately monitored and reviewed this will facility an improvement plan. Improving this will result in improved patient access and better patient experience, thus reducing patient complaints.

If successful for this service, we will be able to scale it to cover other specialties.

What does your project aim to achieve?

A project on a new telephone system within POD 4 aims to achieve several objectives, including:

• Improved communication: enhanced communication within the hospital, enabling patients and staff to communicate more effectively. This will help to ensure that patient needs are met promptly and that critical information is transmitted accurately.
•  Increased efficiency: improved efficiency of communication processes, including features such as call routing, automated message monitoring and other tools that streamline communication
• Cost savings: we may be able to reduce costs associated with outdated or unreliable equipment, and features such as call tracking and reporting can help to identify further areas where cost savings can be achieved.
• Enhanced patient experience: improved overall patient experience by enabling staff to respond more quickly to patient needs and inquiries. This can include features such as automated appointment reminders, call queuing, and other tools that reduce wait times and improve the quality of patient care

How will the project be delivered?

• Project Planning: The scope, objectives, have been disused with the Head of Business Engagement and Change, IT Department.
• Implementation: This involves installing and configuring the new telephone system hardware and software, testing the system, and training hospital staff on how to use the new setup. This set up is currently being used within the Trust and can be deployed in POD 4
• Maintenance and Support: After deployment, the project team (IT) will provide ongoing maintenance and support to ensure the system continues to function properly and meet our evolving needs.

Overall, the delivery of a new telephone system project will require close collaboration between the project team, staff, and ‘vendors’ to ensure a successful outcome.

How is your project going to share learning?

The project team will share learning within the trust via quality comittee, clinical governance, and directorate boards. All project documentation, including project plans, design documents, test plans and status reports, will be will be made available.