Rethinking portals: Phone-first and people-focused
Rather than pushing everything online, Horizon asked a smarter question:
“What if technology takes care of admin so our team can focus on what matters most: appointments and real conversations?”
Using our Virtual Care Navigator (VCN) integrated with SystmOne, they created a voice-based portal that patients can call 24/7 to:
- Request prescriptions or fit notes
- Chase referrals
- Book long-term condition reviews
It automates admin tasks in the background, not triage, which frees receptionists to give personal attention where it has the biggest impact.
Real results that changed the practice
A call audit revealed that 60% of calls were admin related. Now, 60% of that admin is handled automatically, leading to:
- 1,500 fewer inbound calls every month
- Two whole receptionists’ time freed for patient-facing work
- Google rating improved from 2.1 to 4.1 stars
- Patients get instant access with almost zero queue time
- Reception team reports less stress and fewer complaints
This was not just new technology. It was a smarter way of working.
Congratulations to Horizon Healthcare
A huge well done to Tina and the entire Horizon team for leading the way with such a thoughtful, patient-centred approach. Their willingness to innovate and focus on people, not just systems, is what made this project a success and why it stood out to the HTN judges.
Want to achieve results like this?
Our solution is fully integrated with SystmOne and EMIS, scalable across sites and PCNs, and configurable to match your local workflows.
Every practice is different. We will build it around yours. Speak to us to explore how this could work at your site.