An online triage technology system has been installed across Hull and York to help streamline patient flow.

Up to 60,000 patients now have access to the technology from Finnish-based Klinik Healthcare Solutions.

Klinik Access’s algorithm combines symptom checking and urgency assessment to prioritise patient care.

Haxby Group, which manages 11 GP surgeries, has become the first in the UK to switch over to the Klinik Access system.

Dr Thomas Patel-Campbell, Haxby Group GP partner and CCIO, said: “Many requests are simply too nuanced for the administrative teams to manage over the phone.

“For instance, paramedic and physio background members of the team are qualified to select who needs to see them, but a non-clinical receptionist can’t do that.”

The system was introduced firstly for patients at two of Haxby Group’s York surgeries.

Results show the weekly average of online enquiries rose from 0.1% at the start, to 24% in under two months of the new system going live.

Eighty-six percent of patients also rated the new online triage system as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’.

The Klinik online system allows doctors to review their patients’ enquiries and call them back that same day with a plan of care, arranging a face-to-face review for patients who need it.

Available 24/7, the online service  allows patients to feel as though they have gained contact with their GP, without taking up valuable appointments needed for others.

Further roll-outs of the service are expected in Lancashire, Hull and the South East.

Ben Wood, director of operations and sales for Klinik Healthcare Solutions UK, added: “It’s great to see our technology and service levels transferring safely and effectively from a Finnish healthcare environment to an NHS primary care setting. Haxby Group is leading the revolution as the NHS moves towards a digital-first primary care service.

“The NHS has a lot of pressure on it to reduce costs and burdens on resources. Klinik’s focus is to support GPs and the NHS in relieving some of this pressure through digital technologies.”

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