Overview
Marton Medical Practice is a single-site surgery serving 9,425 patients in Blackpool. The team includes GPs, nurses, advanced clinical practitioners, healthcare assistants and a rota of nine receptionists ensuring phone cover from 8am to 6:30pm.
The challenge
Before switching to Surgery Connect, the practice relied on a phone system provided by the local hospital trust. While this allowed for internal calls to secondary care and community providers, it limited the practice’s control. Basic tasks, like updating voicemail messages or managing out-of-hours scripts, required support tickets to the trust’s IT team which slowed response times and impacted operational flexibility.
The solution
Needing a Cloud-based telephony system with more autonomy and flexibility, Marton Medical Practice chose Surgery Connect. The decision was supported by the system’s features, a strong reputation in primary care and the responsive approach of our sales and training teams.
Early results & impact
Although an initially daunting move from a system fully managed by local IT to having full autonomy with Surgery Connect, the practice has never looked back since. Updates to messages, scripts or opening hours can now be made easily and instantly in-house, including urgent changes like fire alarm alerts. The reporting capabilities are a standout feature, giving the team clear monthly insights into call volumes, answer rates and dropped calls. This key data, alongside features like menu options, support better planning and help the team prioritise incoming calls for same-day appointments at peak times while deferring less urgent queries to later in the day when more staff are available.
“Being able to manage the messages and the menu by the practice, with no wait time for local IT to take action, has been liberating!”
Looking ahead
The practice continues to make full use of the system’s flexibility and reporting tools to streamline daily operations and optimise patient access.
Summary
By switching to Surgery Connect, Marton Medical Practice has gained independence from external IT control, improved efficiency of practice operations and streamlined incoming patient demand. The team now has the tools and autonomy to adapt quickly, manage capacity and maintain high standards of care.