Local MP opens new Call Centre at Chase Farm Hospital

Last updated 5-Mar-09 13:33

Barnet and Chase Farm hospitals have improved access to services with the opening of a new £300,000 Call Centre at Barnet & Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust (Thursday 29th May) today.

The Call Centre situated on the Chase Farm Hospital site was upgraded over a period of just a few months. The staff now use a state of the art telephone system and new ways of working have been put in place to ensure patient calls are dealt with in a timely and efficient manner.

Averil Dongworth, Chief Executive said: This is a fantastic improvement to make sure the first contact a patient has with the Trust is a good one. The upgrading of the phone system has already benefited callers. Since the new telephone system was put in place, over a 1,000 call are answered a day, a 100% increase on the previous number. Patient referrals now reach consultants within 24 -48 hrs of receipt."

At the opening, Rt Hon Joan Ryan MP said, "This is a significant investment for the Trust to make, the new call centre is an essential building block for future improvements at Chase Farm. All the figures and first hand experiences so far show that patients are benefiting from a good, speedy service.

I hope the trust will continue to monitor the satisfaction of the service to ensure they continue to deliver an excellent customer experience from the moment a call is answered."

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Notes to Editors:

For further information contact:
Marcia McKnight
tel: 020 8375 2578 or 07786 981 099

or

Please contact
Joanna Johnson, Communications Manager
tel: 020 8375 2180
email | joanna.johnson@bcf.nhs.uk