Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust enhances patient engagement

Innovative digital transformation leads to significant improvements

To reduce waiting lists and enhance patient communication, Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust has adopted Netcall’s Liberty for Health platform.

Since its introduction, the Trust has rapidly validated waiting lists, supported patients to wait well, digitised diagnostic appointments, and engaged with patients through next-generation contact centre technology.

As a result, the Trust witnessed a 12% reduction in incoming calls, call wait times cut by 70%, and booking centre productivity boosted by 30-40%. The Waiting Well module of Patient Hub reduces anxiety by providing digital updates and advice, resulting in 500 fewer calls per week and a 10% reduction in the waiting list.

Previously, administrators called each patient every 12 weeks to check if they still needed to be on the list. With the Waiting List Validation module of Patient Hub, this check is now automated via SMS, leading to a discharge rate of around 8.3% from waiting lists.

Diagnostic bookings were another critical challenge. The Trust implemented Liberty Converse, Netcall’s omnichannel contact centre solution, within the diagnostic booking centre. Instead of a single phone line, patients now queue in an orderly fashion, and booking agents can see how many people are waiting and for how long.

The next phase included implementing a digital diagnostic solution to automate the booking of radiology appointments. This simplified the process for patients and reduced the administrative burden on the booking team, with 30-40% of bookings now handled online.

Since implementing Liberty Converse, DNA rates have fallen from 8% to 2%, and booking centre productivity has improved by 30-40%. Rotherham plans to introduce Liberty Converse CX for live language translation on webchats and deploy Netcall’s PRM solution for back-office case management and tracking.

James Rawlinson, Director of Health Informatics, The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, concluded: “Netcall’s Health platform provides far more than ‘a portal’. It’s a comprehensive suite of solutions designed to engage patients in the way they prefer. From the moment they are referred, through their waiting period, to booking appointments and diagnostic tests, all the way to discharge, the platform supports them every step of the way.”