Let’s talk numbers – using babblevoice telephony data to improve primary care

In today’s digital age, the NHS is not alone in leveraging the power of data. Health data is increasingly used to pinpoint issues, target problems and measure impact. Once primary care practices have switched to a digital cloud telephony system, a further set of insightful data is available to GPs and their teams.

Insightful telephony metrics

Advanced cloud telephony systems like babblevoice, measure and retain a huge array of telephony metrics. So, let’s look first at which telephony data can be particularly meaningful.

In our experience, the top five telephony stats that are most often reported by babblevoice surgeries are:

• Total number of incoming calls
• How many calls get answered
• How many calls are abandoned by the caller
• How long do patients wait to either have their call answered or before they abandon the call
• Average length of calls

These metrics can be reported over any timeframe. They can be segmented by phone number (if the surgery has more than one); by team, e.g. reception team, prescription team, test results team etc. and they can be analysed by each handset.

Beyond this, a surgery can take a deeper dive into any aspect of their particular telephony system configuration. They might want to look at the menu choices their callers are making, for example. Such as:

• How many are trying to book an appointment
• How many are looking for a prescription
• How many have a general enquiry
• How many are looking for test results

Analysing these sets of results can enable management teams to identify patterns taking place on particular days of the week and times of the day, as well as which numbers receive most calls and which team members handle most calls.

Turning numbers into improvements

At babblevoice, we’ve identified four key ways for primary care surgeries to use telephony data to support improvement activity.

1. Allocating resources efficiently

Using data visualisation of call volumes allows surgeries to clearly see the peaks and troughs of incoming calls. This knowledge enables teams to match staffing patterns more closely to demand.

For example, at the Linthorpe Surgery near Middlesbrough, the practice team reorganised their reception staff shifts based on their call patterns, including recruiting extra team members to cover their highest demand times of the week.

2. Identifying training needs

Analysing time taken to handle calls by different team members can help with identifying areas where additional training is required.

The Mill Medical Practice found this particularly helpful in supporting new members of staff. Managers were able to proactively identify areas for training, rather than waiting for people to ask for help.

3. Keeping patients informed

Some practices choose to display live data on screens in reception areas. It can be insightful for patients to understand the demands on surgeries and to see that waiting times are being actively monitored and managed.

At the Brunel Medical Practice in Devon, they use automated call back to help keep reception teams available during busy periods. They have had very positive feedback in particular from patients over-75 that use this option and can see that waiting times are being addressed.

4. Sharing best practice

For practices and PCNs that oversee more than one surgery, babblevoice enables data visualisations to compare the same metrics between sites.

For example, Brocklebank Group Practice in South West London monitors data between their three practice sites, identifying and implementing best practice.

Reporting telephony data upwards

Increasingly, ICBs and NHS England require GP surgeries to report upwards, often requiring evidence of SMART actions. They are looking to identify where practices have used data to:

• See what the current status is
• Identify key issues
• Make a plan to address the issues
• Check back to see what’s worked/changed

Using telephony data to help with this reporting can enable surgeries to access additional funding via QOF for example. The 2023/24 QOF included QI modules regarding optimising demand and capacity in general practice which are supported by babblevoice telephony data.

How babblevoice can help

Babblevoice’s Vibes reporting module is adaptable and user-led. It aims to take the effort out of reporting the telephony data that practices want to monitor. It’s straightforward to use and teams can choose a range of displays to show the data in the way that works best for them. From a single icon button on a mobile that takes the user straight to the latest data on their report, to exporting data to other software such as Excel - whatever fits best with workflows.

Our installation engineers spend time on-site with each new practice to help them to set up their Vibes Boards from day one, and to show them how to create their own. In addition, our friendly helpdesk team are on hand to help practice teams with any aspect of Vibes - post-installation, free-of-charge.

We are nearing readiness to launch our new automated email reporting of telephony data direct to our surgeries’ inboxes as well as to NHS England. More on this during early 2025.

To find out more about babblevoice’s Vibes reporting module, request a demo.

Or if you need help with setting up a report for your surgery, get in touch at info@babblevoice.com.