A busy training practice helping to develop the next generation of GPs
Denny Cross Medical Centre, based in NHS Forth Valley, is a long-established practice with a proud reputation for training and mentoring new doctors. The practice, now more than 20 years old, is led by a close-knit team of partners supported by Practice Manager Liz McQuillan, who oversees the day-to-day running of the practice and its busy training programme.
“Training is a huge part of what we do,” says Liz. “We’ve got a mix of FY2s, GPSTs and NES returners and retainers, so it takes a lot of work. The trainees are the future of general practice, so we want to give them the best experience we can.”
NHS Education for Scotland (NES) supports GP education and training across Scotland, including returner and retainer programmes for doctors coming back into practice. Denny Cross works closely with NES to provide an environment where new and returning GPs can build confidence and refine their skills.
Using Think Healthcare to support training and development
Denny Cross has always valued the use of call recordings as part of its teaching approach. When the practice moved to Think Healthcare’s cloud telephony system, those recordings became a core part of how trainees learn and reflect on patient calls.
Liz explains, “We use call recordings all the time for the trainees. They take triage calls, then sit down with their mentor to listen back together and discuss what went well and what they could have done differently. It’s a really powerful learning tool.”
The team also uses recordings for reflective practice and assessment. “They listen back to their own calls and reflect, and the mentors can guide them through what to improve. It works really well,” she says.
Expanding the toolkit: live coaching and call management
The practice is now looking to take training support even further by exploring live call coaching within the Think Healthcare system. This feature allows a supervisor to listen in to a call and offer real-time guidance to a trainee without the patient hearing, or to join the call if needed.
“It would be easier for them than listening back to calls,” says Liz. “It saves time and would let the mentors give feedback straight away.”
Liz and the partners also plan to look more closely at the system’s live management tools as part of their ongoing training and supervision model.
Happier patients through callback and better access
Alongside its training focus, Denny Cross has seen benefits for patients, particularly through the callback feature.
“We use callback all the time because the patients like it,” says Liz. “They used to spend forever trying to get through. They like the callback, especially the older ones.”
Even during busy periods, the practice keeps callback switched on because of how much patients value it. “We just keep it on because the patients like it,” she explains. “It makes a real difference.”
The Think Healthcare team is also helping the practice fine-tune callback settings to match staff capacity and daily demand, ensuring the balance between patient convenience and manageable workloads.
Protecting staff and improving communication
Think Healthcare’s call recording feature has also proved vital in managing complaints and safeguarding staff.
“It’s absolutely amazing for complaints,” says Liz. “If a patient says something was said on the phone, we can go back and listen. Often it turns out that wasn’t the case. Even down to diagnosis – we’ve had patients think they were told something that wasn’t said, and we can check the recording and be sure.”
She adds, “If you’ve not got call recording, you’re dead in the water. I couldn’t go without it. It protects the team and helps us manage things fairly.”
This has been especially helpful as practices face rising levels of aggression from callers. “Some of the girls have been quite upset a few times lately,” Liz says. “Having the recordings there means we can deal with things properly and support the team.”
Reliable local support from a Scottish team
For a practice as busy as Denny Cross, having local people who understand the realities of Scottish primary care makes a real difference. Think Healthcare’s dedicated account managers and support teams are based across Scotland, providing hands-on help and guidance from people who know local systems, pressures and NHS processes inside out.
From installation to day-to-day maintenance, the practice benefits from responsive support from engineers who are close by when needed. Liz says, “I usually just email the local Focus team and it’s logged right away. They’re quick at getting things fixed.”
That local connection and responsiveness have given the practice confidence in its system — and peace of mind knowing that help is always nearby.
Preparing for the future with AI-powered insights
Looking ahead, Liz and the team are interested in Think Healthcare’s upcoming AI-based call analytics, which will allow practices to search transcripts and analyse patient sentiment.
“That would be even better for my training,” she says. “If there was something about a patient’s hypertension or asthma, you could just type it in and find those calls. The trainees could listen to them and learn from real examples.”
Summary
For Denny Cross Medical Centre, Think Healthcare’s cloud telephony system has become a vital part of daily life – supporting training, protecting staff and improving patient experience.
As Liz sums up, “It’s reliable, it helps us train better, it protects our staff, and the patients are happier too. We couldn’t go without it.”