Overview
Bridge View Medical Group is a large training practice in Sunderland North, serving 15,150 patients across one of the most deprived communities in the region. As a Deep End Network practice, delivering accessible and equitable care is at the heart of their mission. To better meet patient needs and reduce operational pressures, the team turned to X-on Health for a digital-first approach.
The challenge
Lengthy telephone queues and a lack of call structure left patients frustrated and often visiting the surgery in person when they couldn’t get through. For staff, the absence of defined workflows created inefficiencies and high pressure, particularly during peak hours. The team needed a solution that could ease demand, improve access and provide patients with more choice.
The solution
Bridge View Medical Group implemented a combination of Surgery Connect and Surgery Assist, taking a collaborative approach with X-on Health to tailor the system to their environment.
Key features of Surgery Connect included Patient Callback to remove pressure during peak demand, Check and Cancel to enable better appointment management and X-flow to streamline access points. Surgery Assist was introduced to support out-of-hours digital engagement.
Early results & impact
The transformation has been immediate. With Surgery Connect, call flow is vastly improved and now follows a structured, intuitive path, making it easier for patients to navigate and for staff to manage.
“The callback function is excellent for patients because they no longer have to wait on the phone. Within 13 days of using Surgery Assist, we had saved 1 day of admin time. Overall, any queries were replied to quickly and the support has been excellent all round.”
Assistant Practice Manager, Bridge View Medical Group
Surgery Assist has played an intentional role in reducing queue volumes and average wait times. Patients actively use the chatbot seven days a week, especially between 7am and 8am—times that previously drove high call demand.
Within 13 days, Surgery Assist saved 486 minutes of admin time, equivalent to a full day of work. Now at 2 months since go-live, the chatbot has saved 2 days worth of admin. Callback requests have also dropped, as shorter queues mean less need for this feature.
Looking ahead
The practice continues to explore how Surgery Assist and Surgery Connect can support wider digital access across the PCN and reduce inequalities. The team is also reviewing usage patterns to further refine call flows and digital triage.
Summary
By combining Surgery Connect and Surgery Assist, Bridge View Medical Group has eased telephone demand and admin workload while improving the patient experience. The partnership with X-on Health has empowered the practice to modernise access without compromising care quality, delivering measurable benefits from day one.