Appletree Medical Practice are having a major upgrade of our current phone system.  

We have undertaken patient surveys over the past two years which have reflected our patients' comments that they are finding it difficult to contact our surgery at peak times.   Our previous system was unable to cope efficiently with the heavy volume of calls which we receive at particular times of the day.   Our new phone service is equipped to deal with call congestion and will ease the problems at peak call times.

We have over 10,400 residents on our register and we are taking advantage of advances in telecoms technology to improve our patient services.

As well as calling in to speak to a receptionist, patients will have the opportunity to call in night or day and book the next available appointment, move an existing appointment or cancel an appointment using any touch tone phone anywhere in the world.   All our patients will need to know when making an appointment is their contact telephone number and their date of birth.   Our new system is designed to be easy to use and helpful for people who work shifts, or who are unable to reach a phone during their working day.

This means that the engaged tone should be almost completely eliminated and patients will have the choice of either being routed to an on-duty receptionist or book their appointment using their touch tone phone.  

In an age where perceived choice is so important, to be able to offer our patients more choice at their first point of contact with our surgery is crucial – not just in the timing of their appointment, but in how they book it and when.   This is a positive step which will benefit both patients and our hard working staff.

Jayne Cooper
Practice Manager