Setting the scene
Part of Frimley ICB, The Cambridge Practice is a large, multi-site GP practice serving over 23,000 patients in Aldershot.
Like many practices across the UK, rising patient demand, staffing shortages and increasing administrative burden were placing strain on both clinical and administrative teams.
By June 2024, The Cambridge Practice was already using elements of the X-on Health ecosystem, including the Cloud-based telephony solution Surgery Connect. However, many of the available features and workflows were not being fully utilised. At the same time, the transition away from legacy ways of working required both operational and cultural change across the organisation.
Like many GP surgeries, The Cambridge Practice recognised that technology alone would not solve growing access pressures.
Working closely with their Customer Success Advisor (CSA) Gemma Kerton, The Cambridge Practice began a wider transformation at the start of 2026, centred around intelligent care navigation, workflow redesign and continuous optimisation. The result was a more joined-up, sustainable access model that improved experiences for both patients and staff.
The challenge
The pressure across the practice was significant.
GPs were regularly working late into the evening to complete clinical notes, with some finishing work close to midnight. Teams were experiencing high levels of stress while continuing to manage ongoing staffing shortages across both reception and clinical functions.
Alongside operational pressures, the practice also faced challenges around technology adoption.
Although already using Surgery Connect for their telephony, the wider ecosystem had not yet been fully embedded into day-to-day workflows. Existing internal processes were not aligned to newer digital pathways and automation tools, limiting the value the practice could gain from them.
The rollout of Omni Consult Voice Agent also brought initial challenges. Early patient resistance to automated call handling contributed to a sharp spike in call volumes during go-live, with daily calls increasing from around 400 to almost 1,400 at one stage.
It quickly became clear that successful adoption required more than simply switching systems on. To achieve meaningful change, they needed support to:
- Redesign internal workflows
- Optimise telephony pathways
- Adapt operational processes
- Respond quickly to patient and staff feedback
- Improve confidence in digital tools across the practice
What the team needed was a partner that understood the realities of modern general practice.
The solution
The Cambridge Practice adopted a fully integrated intelligent care navigation model using:
- Surgery Connect (Cloud-based telephony system)
- Surgery Intellect, powered by TORTUS (ambient scribe used in face-to-face and telephone consultations)
- Surgery Assist with AI (digital care navigation assistant)
- Omni Consult Voice Agent (automated, structured capture of patient requests)
- Surgery Insights (centralised data dashboard across access, adoption and workforce)
However, the real transformation came through the close partnership between the practice and X-on Health’s Customer Success team.
Assigned as their dedicated Customer Success Advisor, Gemma took time to understand the practice’s operational pressures, challenges and existing workflows. Working closely with the team, Gemma helped redesign telephony workflows, restructure internal processes and ensure teams were fully utilising the available features across the platform. This included extensive go-live support and continual refinements based on live patient and staff feedback.
One of the biggest operational changes involved redesigning how patient requests were managed internally. To create clearer ownership and improve routing consistency, named departmental leads were assigned to different request pathways.
At the same time, patient access pathways were adjusted to ensure automation enhanced, rather than replaced, patient choice. Omni Consult call flows were adjusted following feedback during go-live, while personalised call routing was introduced to support different patient needs and preferences.
Rather than simply implementing new technology, the practice and customer success team focused on aligning workflows, teams and processes around a more sustainable access model.
The results – for patients
Overall, patients experienced a more flexible and accessible route into care.
Following early patient feedback during rollout, Claire worked with Gemma to refine Omni Consult call flows, giving patients greater choice in how they engaged with the practice. Patients could continue through the automated route or speak directly with reception teams at any stage, helping improve uptake and reduce friction across the patient journey.
Personalised call routing also created a more supportive experience for vulnerable patients. Patients living with dementia, alongside their carers, could be prioritised directly to reception teams where needed, resulting in positive feedback from carers and the Patient Participation Group.
The wider intelligent care navigation model also improved consistency across voice, digital and reception pathways, helping patients reach the most appropriate service more efficiently.
After implementing Surgery Assist, the practice saw measurable improvements in patient engagement and access, including:
- DNA rates reduced from 8% to 3%
- NHS App utilisation increased to 76%
Between February and May 2026:
- Surgery Assist supported 1,191 appointment conversations, 317 prescription conversations, and 243 “ask a question” conversations
- 16% of Surgery Assist chats took place out of hours, improving flexibility for patients needing support outside core opening times
- SMS signposting helped avoid 39% of calls following SMS engagement
At the same time, Omni Consult delivered 7,225 completed Voice Agent consultations with a 71% Voice Agent success rate.
By capturing structured information at first contact, the system reduced the need for repeat conversations and helped streamline access into the appropriate care pathway.
“I phoned at 8 am and, using the Voice Agent, answered a few questions which were really easy, and within half an hour I had a call inviting me to an appointment at the Centre for Health at 10.20 am, where I was seen quickly and received some really good health advice.”
Patient at The Cambridge Practice
The results – for staff
Before implementation, ongoing staffing shortages and administrative pressures were making workloads increasingly difficult to manage, with some GPs regularly staying late into the evening to complete clinical documentation.
The introduction of Surgery Intellect, powered by TORTUS, had an immediate impact on clinical workload management. Between February and May 2026, the platform delivered an estimated 140 hours of time savings across 1,969 face-to-face consultations, 2,868 live-call consultations and 1,059 audio file consultations.
Most importantly, clinicians were able to complete notes more efficiently and finish work on time more consistently, helping reduce pressure and improve morale across the team. The impact on clinicians was significant enough that a Duty Doctor specifically requested to take on more duty shifts following the rollout — something the practice described as a “real revelation” given the historic pressures associated with the role.
The integrated approach also improved how the practice managed administrative and reception demand.
Across Surgery Assist, Surgery Intellect and Omni Consult, approximately 678 hours of administrative workload were redistributed across the practice between January 2026 and May 2026. This did not remove the need for work entirely. Instead, it allowed the practice to better manage demand and reallocate workload more effectively at a time of ongoing workforce shortages.
For example, while Omni Consult reduced pressure on inbound calls and captured structured information at first contact, teams still needed to triage and process incoming forms. Having clearer information available upfront helped standardise workflows and reduced time spent gathering missing details.
Ongoing support from Gemma also helped improve staff confidence in using digital workflows and automation tools effectively. Rather than feeling like an additional burden, the technology became embedded into their day-to-day operations in a way that truly supports the practice and their patients.
“The whole system makes the workload more transparent and structured. With the introduction of the Voice Agent, we are receiving far fewer calls from the Medical Call Handlers. This has helped to reduce interruptions, help me prioritise what to deal with first and allow for more focused clinical time.”
Duty doctor at The Cambridge Practice
Looking ahead
The work continues as the practice further develops its intelligent care navigation approach.
One remaining challenge has been the use of a historical switchboard infrastructure, which impacts patient identification rates by preventing Omni Consult from recognising saved patient numbers correctly. Gemma is working with the practice to phase this out by early June 2026.
Future priorities include:
- Continued development of intelligent care navigation workflows
- Greater use of automation and patient self-service tools
- Pilot of Surgery-led Appointment Booking functionality
The partnership between The Cambridge Practice and X-on Health continues to evolve.
The project demonstrated that successful digital transformation in primary care is not simply about implementing new technology. It requires operational expertise, continuous optimisation and close collaboration with teams on the ground.
By combining integrated technology with workflow redesign and hands-on customer support, The Cambridge Practice has built a more sustainable, flexible and patient-focused model for the future of general practice.
“Gemma has delivered an exceptional level of service to The Cambridge Practice, consistently demonstrating professionalism, empathy, and an in‑depth understanding of both our operational needs and our patients’ experience. Her ability to listen, strip back complexity, and translate feedback into meaningful, patient‑focused improvements has been outstanding – her contribution has had a genuinely positive impact on both staff workflows and patient experience.”
Claire, Digital Transformation Lead at The Cambridge Practice
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