The Challenge: Creating a joined-up digital front door for patients
Sunderland GP Alliance set out to improve how patients accessed healthcare across the city. This was through creating a digital front door for patients and practices in Sunderland. GP websites are the front door to NHS care for many patients. The goal of the websites is to:
- Reduce unnecessary calls
- Ease GP admin workloads
- Promote self-care by directing the patients to alternative primary care options
To achieve this, the websites needed consistent content and user-friendly design across all practice sites. Each site must be compliant with national standards and easy to update.
The solution: A collaborative rollout with Practice365
Following engagement with the Sunderland Digital Steering Group and practice staff, the Alliance selected Practice365. The platform key additional features including:
- NHS-branded URLS
- compliance with digital standards
- flexible site structures
- a library of ready-to-use NHS content
Using a “parent/child” model, Practice365 enabled the creation of individual websites that could link to a central portal. It also provided access to NHS-branded URLs, which help patients instantly identify trusted healthcare information, due to the NHS logo’s strong recognition and association with quality.
Practices could manage their content themselves or request support. A training programme and ongoing helpdesk support ensured smooth onboarding and content maintenance.
One key feature was the ability to share content from the Sunderland Health and Wellness Hub across all sites. This saves time and promotes consistent messaging around local health priorities.
Benefits: Easier access, time saved, smarter decisions
Practice365 supports a wide range of priorities, including:
- Improved access for patients
- Reduction in unnecessary appointments, supported by health and social care guidance and signposting
- Less admin time for practice managers
- More consistent and effective dissemination of information
- Provides a gateway for social prescribing
- Supports data-driven decision-making
Sunderland GP Alliance has achieved this by developing the Sunderland Health and Wellness Hub and enhancing all practice websites across Sunderland, moving all practices onto a single supplier platform.
Results: Better access, reduced pressure, consistent experience
The practices now use Practice365 to connect with patients online. The rollout has given patients a clear and consistent way to request prescriptions, book appointments and access local services, without needing to call the practice.
Sunderland Health and Wellness Hub has estimated no cashable benefit of:
- 656 hours of reception time, equating to £7,481 – £8,085 by reducing phone calls via signposting.
- 394 hours of GP time, equating to £19,338 – £39,000 in savings through self-referral routes/tools.
GP Practice Websites has estimated no cashable benefit of:
- 702 hours of Practice Manager time, equating to £10,656 – £21,312 saved annually for updating GP practice sites.
- 13,742 hours of reception time, equating to £110,015 – £119,628 in savings through GP websites providing appropriate information and reducing phone calls.
Practices now benefit from easier content management, site analytics, and flexible support. The websites also share NHS campaigns and citywide health initiatives throughout the year.
The Sunderland Health and Wellness Hub and practice websites represent a shift towards digital healthcare in response to challenges like workforce shortages and increased demand within the NHS.
Their collaboration with Practice365 has secured finalist spots for digital innovation and improving primary care at the General Practice Awards 2024.
