Navigating Change: Carolside Medical Centre Avoids 14,000 Phone Calls in Just 6 Months

Interview with Lindsay Brynes, Carolside Practice Manager

Carolside Medical Centre Background

Established in 1904, Carolside Medical Centre has been serving the Clarkston area in Scotland and has a patient base of nearly 10,000 individuals. However, with the increased demand on their phone lines, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the practice faced challenges in managing patient queries effectively.

Man in face mask in a queue for Carolside Case Study page

The Carolside Challenge

The Reception Team at Carolside Medical Centre was overwhelmed with back-to-back phone calls, as patients had limited means of contacting the practice other than through phone calls.

nurse on the phone taking notes on carolside case study page

The Solution

In November 2021, the practice introduced FootFall as a “digital front door” to provide patients with a secure and efficient way to submit their queries online.

The platform offers online forms accessible during practice hours, and patients receive acknowledgements with an assured response timeframe.

Although patients still have the option to call the practice, FootFall significantly reduces the need for phone calls.

laptop with carolside website on the screen

Results & Benefits for Carolside Medical Centre

Within the first 6 months of implementing FootFall, Carolside Medical Centre received 15,655 online requests. When patients were surveyed about what they would have done if the FootFall service didn’t exist, they responded with the following results:

  • 90% would have phoned the practice – 14,023 phone calls avoided
  • 5% would have visited the practice – 697 visits avoided
  • 3% would have made an appointment – 432 appointments avoided
mobile phone with carolside app on the screen

Phone pressure reduced by 30%

The switch to FootFall resulted in a 30% reduction in pressure on phone lines, enabling the Reception Team to focus on effectively triaging and managing patient requests online.

The online forms allowed the practice to obtain consistent information across all patient queries, enabling efficient assignment of requests to the appropriate team member.

More effective flow of demand with Patient Form Control Feature

Carolside Medical Centre Practice Manager emphasised the benefits of the Patient Form Control feature, which helped the practice manage the flow of demand effectively.

The practice also used FootFall to provide self-care information, reducing unnecessary appointments by directing patients to relevant advice and information.

The Carolside Conclusion

By embracing FootFall, Carolside Medical Centre transformed their patient services, avoiding thousands of phone calls, visits, and appointments.

The streamlined process not only alleviated the pressure on phone lines but also improved internal processes, allowing the practice to provide better patient care.

Their success with FootFall has prompted them to actively recommend the platform to other medical practices in the area.

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nurse handing over documents to a patient over the table on carolside case study page

“A big advantage is the Patient Form Control feature, it has been really helpful for the practice to have control of the forms and has helped us to control the flow of demand.”

“We have been actively recommending FootFall to other practices in the area.”

Lindsay Brynes, Practice Manager, Carolside Medical Centre