Think Healthcare provides Ascend Cloud Telephony, pairing VoIP with contact-centre features aimed at higher-volume GP call handling. It supports 1,000+ practices and was founded by former NHS professionals.
Pricing
Not openly published — quote-based, procured via the NHS Advanced Telephony Better Purchasing Framework (BPf), through which NHS funding may be available. Confirm with the supplier and your ICB.
Function
Features include patient pop-ups showing caller demographics, one-click record access, custom notes/alerts (e.g. flagging palliative patients or QOF reminders), VIP routing to move emergency or palliative callers to the front of the queue, unlimited lines with dynamic routing for vulnerable patients, auto-callback, and a Virtual Care Navigator that automates repeat admin tasks. It integrates with EMIS, SystmOne and Vision (patient pop-ups, one-click record access, click-to-call). The company cites 99.999% uptime.
Ease of setup
Supplier-led and procured through the BPf framework, so switching is a managed migration. Setup covers number porting, routing/queue configuration, clinical-system integration and staff training on the contact-centre tools.
Ease of use
The contact-centre orientation (routing tables, wallboards, auto-callback, alerts) suits teams managing high call volumes and wanting fine control over prioritisation. Uptime and routing features are selling points; reviewer experience will show how it performs day to day.
Applications / best fit
Leans towards practices and PCNs that want contact-centre-grade call management and prioritisation. Three-system integration (including Vision) is a plus. Reviewer context — call volumes, list size, clinical system, single vs PCN-scale — matters.
Things to check before buying
Total cost against BPf funding, contract length and SLA (given the uptime claims), migration/number-porting effort, which contact-centre features are included vs add-ons, and depth of integration with your clinical system.
Compare with
Surgery Connect and babblevoice — see the other telephony pages.
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