Press releases

ntl delivers IP telephony to improve patient services for the Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust

• Installing an IP contact centre solution, a crucial element of the dedicated Patient Appointment Centre for the Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust
• Delivering reliable, cost effective communications and improved services to over 375,000 patients a year
• Meeting stringent performance guidelines set by the Government to ensure ‘increased patient choice’ in the region.

18 July 2005 - ntl Business, a leading provider of communications services to the public sector, has announced the completion of a robust converged voice and data network, delivering a low-cost patient booking system to the Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust. Building on its IP heritage, ntl has provided the Trust with a contact centre solution to enable its Patient Appointment Centre to offer greater, more reliable services to patients.

In response to National Performance Targets set by the Government, the Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust contracted ntl to install an IP Telephony solution to link the Booking Centre to the main hospital site, enabling the Trust to run a call centre dedicated to booking patient appointments. Call centre agents will have access to appointment data, patient scans and records throughout the 46-acre hospital site as well as its off-site healthcare centres and practitioners surgeries. The voice and data network has been delivered along with a complete Mitel 3300 IP-PBX with IP enabled handsets connected via Cisco Power-over-Ethernet switches.

ntl's 100MB connection will deliver cost-effective, short-distance bandwidth between the Booking Centre and the main hospital site, enabling offices to be effortlessly connected to allow fast, efficient communications to the server. By migrating to IP, the Trust, which cares for approximately 1,000 patients a day, will enjoy significant cost savings. Staff will have access to a range of advanced applications such as unified messaging and will be able to share the benefits of IP Telephony across multiple locations.

Karen Lough, Programme Manager, the Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust commented: "Choosing the right supplier for this contract was critical because we had such a short timescale to work with. We needed a company we trusted to deliver a robust, reliable and cost effective telecoms system and provide the support we needed. In the past we have run voice and data separately across the network, but by migrating to IP, we know that we will be able to provide the best possible service to meet patient demand and see a return on investment in a very short time."

Tony Harris, Managing Director, ntl Business added: "ntl has been providing tailor-made communications solutions to the public sector for over 20 years. We have worked closely with the Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust to devise an IP Telephony solution to meet its specific needs. We have a competitive offering of leading-edge IP solutions supported by the UK's most advanced network and have worked to ensure the Trust's specific requirements have been met. The solution will provide the region with a modernised and consolidated network that will provide a cost effective, reliable infrastructure to support future development."