Remote working has become the focus for a huge number of industries in recent years, and healthcare is no different. There are now dozens of roles within the NHS and private healthcare providers that require staff to work on the go. From in-home carers to GPs carrying out appointments from home over the phone. Adopting more flexible working practices can boost productivity and allows staff to work in a way that suits them. However, many worry that without the right tools in place, remote working can cause disruption. That’s where we can help.
At RHM we’ve been helping businesses across the UK access better ways to work remotely. Every industry has unique challenges when it comes to working away from their usual environment. The healthcare industry is no different, and we’ve come up with some solutions that can address these challenges. Here’s our guide to the technology and best practices that can make remote working accessible for healthcare staff.
We’re starting with the absolute essentials. A reliable broadband connection is vital to maintaining a quality level of service, especially in the healthcare sector where availability is so crucial. At RHM our speciality is business-only broadband that allows teams to cut through consumer traffic and guarantees reliable connections 24/7. We believe this same principle should carry over to remote staff.
We’ve built a fantastic relationship with all UK network providers, allowing us to provide access to the best connection in any area. Simply send in a phone number or postcode and we’ll help you get set up. This means that high speed video conferences and all of the patient details you need are always at your staff’s fingertips, without having to worry about potentially insecure home networks.
Maintaining patient records and staff activity is essential to the healthcare industry. Many worry that it is difficult to ensure that proper procedures are being followed when staff work remotely. This is especially crucial with regards to how patient and inter-site communications are handled.
This is where Call Management Software thrives. These services create complete accountability in every situation. Each call that comes in to your network, whether it is picked up by someone at your main site, a remote worker or is missed gets logged to your system. This is then cross-referenced with your patient database. This means you know exactly who was trying to make contact, allowing you to react quickly.
Calls are also recorded according to GDPR guidelines, allowing you to ensure that remote staff are still providing a great level of service and are complying with regulations. These recorded calls can then be used for training purposes.
It always helps to work with versatility. The best communication services allow you to react to any situation in the most appropriate way. Sometimes a phone call is all you need, but certain situations require a different approach. If in-home care staff need to inform a colleague of a situation quickly, then instant messaging is the best approach.
Rather than using a potentially insecure consumer-grade application, a unified communications service is fully secure, allows you to search for colleagues quickly and keeps a record of messages for future reference.
Other situations, such as virtual consultations with patients, may require a video call. Unified communications are once again the best solution here. This service provides high-quality video and audio displays as well as allowing you to switch from an audio call to a video call on the fly. Finally, it makes file sharing between colleagues as quick as a press of a button.
In a high-stakes environment such as the healthcare sector, it is essential that there is no disruption to the communication process. That’s why we’ve tailored our communication services to adapt to any situation, especially where remote staff are considered.
Our systems are built with remote work in mind. It isn’t just a matter of taking your laptop home and working in a completely different way. Our communication service can automatically divert calls from a practice number directly to a device of your choice, with no noticeable difference to the caller. Similarly, if a call is missed, we can add an intelligent call divert, sending the caller to the next most qualified member of staff.
Our communication services are also designed for multi-site operations. If you work alongside other practices in your area, our system can centralise your calls, allowing users from other sites to handle calls when you are busy. This helps to reduce disruption and means that every patient is heard.
All of these services combine together to create one complete remote working solution for healthcare teams. It allows for an unapparelled level of service from any environment and should allow your team to react quickly in any situation. To find out more, get in touch with RHM at 0800 041 041 or visit our website.
© rhm telecommunications 2024
