In an age where digital transformation promises to solve all our problems with a wave of the tech wand, it’s tempting to believe that the NHS will be revolutionised any day now. The truth, however, is messier. While billions have been poured into portals, apps, and online systems, a significant portion of patients remain stranded on the wrong side of the so-called digital divide. These are the patients who, for one reason or another, still pick up the phone to contact their GP—only to face endless waiting times, engaged lines, and an experience that feels anything but transformational.
The GP Patient Survey (GPPS) tells us something we shouldn’t ignore: 68% of patients prefer to contact their GP surgeries by phone. This statistic may sound quaint in the age of smartphones, but it speaks volumes. For many, especially those who are elderly, less digitally literate, or living in areas with poor internet access, the phone isn’t just a convenience; it’s a necessity. Yet, as GP surgeries grapple with the growing pressures of modern healthcare, the telephone is increasingly treated like an unwelcome relic.
In recent years, the NHS has poured enormous effort into digitisation, creating online portals, apps, and triage systems designed to streamline care. And let’s be fair: these tools have genuine merit. They cater to the growing number of patients who are comfortable with technology and prefer the immediacy of online access. They help GPs triage cases efficiently and reduce the administrative burden of in-person visits. But—and this is a big but—they also leave many patients behind.
This isn’t just about the elderly, though they are disproportionately affected. It’s also about those without reliable internet access, patients with disabilities who find digital systems inaccessible, and people who simply prefer the human touch of speaking to a person. The NHS’s digital-first push risks creating a two-tiered system: one for the digitally included and one for everyone else.
The result? Patients who rely on the phone to book appointments are left in a queue, often for 30 minutes or more, only to face abrupt call endings or overworked receptionists. This isn’t just frustrating; it’s exclusionary. Worse, it contributes to burnout among reception staff, who are often unfairly targeted by patient frustration. The problem isn’t that patients prefer calling; it’s that the infrastructure for phone-based communication hasn’t caught up with the realities of modern healthcare.
The NHS’s focus on digitisation has largely overlooked the humble telephone. Most funding and innovation go towards flashy apps and sleek online platforms. These tools are great—if you’re comfortable using them. But they create a gap for patients who either can’t or won’t engage with digital methods.
In practice, this means that digital transformation efforts often achieve the opposite of what they intend: instead of making care more accessible, they make it harder to reach for the people who already face barriers. It’s not that these patients are stubbornly resistant to change; it’s that the solutions being offered don’t meet them where they are.
For GP surgeries, the result is an operational headache. Reception teams, already stretched thin, are left managing the bulk of patient communication through an inefficient system. Meanwhile, the surgeries themselves struggle to hit NHS targets for accessibility and patient satisfaction, missing out on crucial funding opportunities like Capacity and Access Payments (CAP).
Enter QuantumLoopAi—a name that might sound like it belongs in a sci-fi film but is actually grounded in a very real-world need. QuantumLoopAi is an artificial intelligence (AI) solution designed not to replace human receptionists but to support them. It sits at the intersection of traditional communication and digital efficiency, effectively modernising the humble phone call.
Here’s what QuantumLoopAi does: it answers every call to a GP surgery within three rings. No hold music, no engaged lines. Using advanced AI, it handles 82% of calls autonomously, from booking appointments to answering routine queries. Patients who need to speak to a human are seamlessly transferred, but the AI takes care of the heavy lifting, leaving reception staff free to focus on more complex tasks.
In a world where patients drop calls out of frustration, QuantumLoopAi re-engages with 41% of abandoned calls, turning missed opportunities into booked appointments. It integrates directly with surgery systems like Accurx and PATCHS, capturing patient details and automating form-filling so that no admin time is wasted. And because it can handle unlimited simultaneous calls, no patient is left waiting in line.
What makes QuantumLoopAi remarkable isn’t just its efficiency; it’s the way it addresses digital exclusion. By modernising phone-based communication, it ensures that patients who rely on traditional methods of contact aren’t left behind. This isn’t about forcing people to adapt to new systems; it’s about meeting them where they are and providing a better experience.
For patients, the impact is immediate. Call waiting times drop to zero. Booking an appointment becomes a straightforward process rather than an exercise in frustration. For surgeries, the benefits are just as clear. Reception teams experience less stress and burnout, leading to higher job satisfaction and lower staff turnover. And because QuantumLoopAi provides detailed reporting on call handling and patient satisfaction, surgeries can use this data to support funding applications and improve their GP Patient Survey (GPPS) scores.
The NHS isn’t just struggling with digital exclusion; it’s also grappling with financial constraints. Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) are tasked with allocating funds to initiatives that improve patient access and care, but the criteria for securing this funding can be daunting. Practices must demonstrate measurable improvements in accessibility, often within tight timeframes.
QuantumLoopAi helps surgeries navigate this process. By aligning with NHS key performance indicators (KPIs) and providing robust data, it enables practices to secure Capacity and Access Payments (CAP) and other ICB funding. This isn’t just theoretical; surgeries using QuantumLoopAi have already seen success, leveraging the solution to unlock funding that would otherwise have been out of reach.
QuantumLoopAi isn’t about replacing human interaction; it’s about enhancing it. It allows surgeries to offer a level of service that meets the needs of all patients, whether they prefer digital platforms or traditional phone calls. By bridging the gap between these worlds, it creates a healthcare system that is not only more efficient but also more inclusive.
The NHS has spent years chasing digital transformation, often at the expense of those who need care the most. QuantumLoopAi offers a chance to correct that imbalance, showing that technology doesn’t have to be exclusionary. Instead, it can be a tool for creating a healthcare system that works for everyone.
GP Practice Managers and PCN Managers are under enormous pressure to deliver better patient access with fewer resources. QuantumLoopAi offers a practical, scalable solution to one of the most pressing challenges in healthcare today. If your surgery is struggling with call volumes, patient dissatisfaction, or missed funding opportunities, it’s time to consider how AI can make a difference.
Book a demo with QuantumLoopAi today and see how this solution can transform your practice—bridging the gap between traditional and digital, improving patient care, and ensuring no one is left behind.
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