How a digital patient portal helped Bradford Teaching Hospitals cut nurse callbacks by 30%

We joined forces with Bradford’s transformation and clinical rheumatology teams to completely transform their telephone-based operating system into a new digital solution that could provide information for patients.

This would help them manage their conditions, while also providing an alternative digital way of accessing the advice line and giving them some peace of mind. This took the form of both streamlining phone services and creating a portal to cater for a diverse audience with differing needs – be it digital or traditional.

• Developed a digital portal and form to guide patients based on their query, and embedded educational videos

• Redirected non-clinical inquiries to secretaries, booking teams, or self-service tools.

• Integrated the portal with BTH’s Electronic Patient Record (EPR) to prepare nurses with information before calls.

• Maintained the traditional phone line, offering patients the choice between digital and telephone access.

• Used QR codes and SMS to make access easy and inclusive. 

Now,  patients at BTH can:

1. Self-managed care

   Patients can self-direct to the correct department and access tools that often resolve their queries, allowing nurses to focus on complex or urgent cases.

2. Inclusivity for all
   - Crucially, this new service remains inclusive – ensuring all patients benefit, regardless of their digital literacy and communications preferences.

3. Easier path to care
   - The digital portal collects detailed information upfront, making phone consultations more efficient and accessible, even for patients with language barriers.

The success of the pathway has led to the rheumatology team creating additional innovations to improve patient care, such as digital consultations through digital templates. They promote the tools to other teams, including allied health professionals, improving consistency of patient care and helping to reduce the waiting lists. 

• 30% reduction in call-back times

• 72 hours saved in nurse time over two months

• 801 digital forms submitted by 587 patients in 5 months

• 44% of queries resolved without nurse input

• 77% of blood test bookings handled via online self-service

• 28% of RA patients used the self-exam video

• 77% of feedback respondents rated digital service useful

• £12,800 projected annual savings in nurse resources

• 57 days saved in nurse time annually

• Winners at HSJ Partnerships Awards 2025 

The Trust has widely implemented the DrDoctor Patient Portal, so that patients won’t miss important communications, while reducing the 1.5 million letters sent every year that cost £800,000.

DrDoctor Forms & Assessments also gives patients access to forms from their home, resulting in higher quality of patient information. These systems working together throughout the Trust creates a single, smooth digital pathway and enables proper use of Nurse Advice Line and was it originally was intended for.