Productive General Practice, Quick Start

Xytal in Action

As a delivery partner for PGP Quick Start (PGP QS), Xytal established a working group across all areas of the practice, including the practice manager and patient services manager, to fully understand the root causes of the admin delays and backlog. To reduce the volume and improve the turnaround time of tasks being processed via their SystmOne software, the PGP QS Efficient Processes module was deployed. Working through the steps in the module, all practice staff were encouraged to contribute their experience, ideas and concerns. A top three priority list of tasks was identified: - contacting patients, urgent prescriptions and hospital admin – and a process map was developed to identify the areas needing improvement. Throughout the process, we worked hand-in-hand with practice staff, supporting, guiding and instructing as much as required.

Results

In addition to clearing the admin backlog, with the majority of new tasks now being completed on the same day, the practice was delighted with the improvements seen in other areas, including:

• A 70-hours per week time saving following the improvements made in the way staff contact patients regarding queries, hospitals and prescriptions.
• A 65% reduction in admin tasks; previously averaging 200 per day, patient contact tasks were reduced to 70.
• Improvements in morale for GPs and staff, who now feel less pressure and are able to deal with tasks quicker.
• An additional 1 hour per day of experienced admin staff time freed up as less time is now required to check, redirect and manage outstanding tasks.

As well as helping the practice, their patients are also now receiving a better experience of care with a quicker and more efficient service.