New phone system at Conquest Hospital reduces complaints

The central appointments office is based at Conquest Hospital which is run by East Sussex Healthcare Trust. The team deal with patient queries about outpatient appointments across all trust sites, handling approximately 700 calls a day.

Since the new telephone system was introduced in December, the number of concerns raised by patients about contacting the appointments centre has dropped by over 60 per cent.

Jo Byers, head of clinical administration, said: “The new system has made a real improvement to the service we can provide and it is fantastic that it is already making a difference to patients.

“I’d like to thank all those who were involved in the project but particularly the staff in the central appointments office, for the way they’ve worked over the last few weeks to adapt to the new technology.”

The new system provides data on how many calls have been taken, how many patients are waiting for their call to be answered and how long the wait is, which means the team can see when the lines are busy and required action can be taken.

Staff can also now flag up with their manager if they are dealing with a difficult call and their manager can listen in and intervene if necessary. All calls can now be recorded which is beneficial for training and the investigation of complaints.

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.

1) Make our website your homepage

2) Like our Facebook page

3) Follow us on Twitter

4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!

Always the first with your local news.

Be part of it.