Leading GP digital telephony provider, X-on Health, has announced the acquisition of Hanley Consulting to strengthen its technology, data analytics, and expert services for GP surgeries across the UK.
Following the recent NHS programme to adopt advanced cloud-based telephony systems in GP surgeries, X-on Health’s market-leading product Surgery Connect is now used by more than half of all surgeries across England, with each practice receiving on average over 330 calls per working day, and 23 per cent received before 9am.
The Hanley team are experts in improving patient access to surgeries, having delivered many successful projects for primary care clients.
They specialise in streamlining and optimising processes by enabling surgeries to better utilise the tools available to them to proactively manage the growing demands they face.
Hanley has recently introduced their own innovative technology solution, EDATT, which is a virtual support assistant for patients.
Independent research confirms that it is proven to reduce inbound telephone calls and increase NHS App utilisation, enabling busy reception teams to better cope with demand.
One early adopter practice has already experienced 54 per cent fewer calls in the 8am rush as a result of the solution and applied nationally it is estimated that the service could result in 9.1 million fewer calls received per month by GP surgeries.
The latest version of EDATT was launched at Best Practice Birmingham in October 2024, and will be rebranded Surgery Assist.
Julian Coe, Managing Director at X-on Health, said: “We are delighted to have Hanley Consulting joining the X-on team.
Everyone across the whole of the country wants to see an end to the 8am rush for GP appointments and by adding the intellectual property that Hanley have developed, we offer a very powerful solution.
“By deploying the Surgery Assist virtual assistant in conjunction with our Surgery Connect platform, we have a winning formula.
“We know that demand on staff time and a lack of resources often means that practices don’t fully utilise the technology that they have adopted.
“With our Access Optimisation Service, we are confident we can ease the burden for practice managers and make a real difference without major investment or extra work for practice teams.”
Paul Bradford, Group CEO of Southern Communications Group, parent of X-on Health, said: “The X-on team has grown rapidly in the two years post our acquisition due to the quality of service it offers.
“Adding Hanley’s expertise will further accelerate the value we deliver to GPs at a time when they are most in need of assistance.
“By bringing Sharon and her team’s deep sector knowledge into X-on, we will be able to deliver better patient access to a large percentage of the UK population.
“It is a tremendously exciting proposition.”
Sharon Hanley, Managing Director at Hanley Consulting, added: “The X-on team and their Surgery Connect product have long been the stand-out telephony providers in the market that we have preferred to work with and have recommended to our customers.
“From the outset, they have understood that it is the need to marry technology, people, and processes into a simple offering that will enable GPs to better manage their capacity and provide better access to patients.
“More than 80 per cent of people still prefer to contact their surgery by phone and therefore it was obvious to us that working with the leading telephony provider was the optimal means of improving access.
“With the rapid rate of technological advance, X-on’s expertise in voice will enable us to introduce more and better routes for patients to access the care they need and make the 8am rush a thing of the past.”
