Article Text
Abstract
Background At Bristol Dental Hospital, we received almost 5000 calls per week, and we were not answering over 60% of these. This led to numerous informal complaints from frustrated patients and families to clinicians and administrative staff, reducing patient experience and affecting staff morale.
Method We set up a Task and Finish group with clinical and managerial leadership using staff engagement and a clear message to improve our performance. We agreed metrics and feedback to administrative teams about weekly performance.
Results Calls received fell from nearly 5000 calls per week to under 3000. Calls answered when available; we term ‘when available’ to indicate during standard operating hours when the line is not already occupied. During core hours call answering improved significantly from around 35% to over 75%. Complaints have dropped significantly in the same time period.
Reflections Effective leadership with staff engagement has improved telephony at a dental hospital in the UK significantly. This initiative has been adopted by other areas in the Trust and helped inform good practice around the Trust.
- patient experience
- organisational effectiveness
- multi-professional
- clinical leadership