X-on launches Phonebar to bring telecoms to the desktop

Cloud telephony provider, X-on, has launched Phonebar, an app to consolidate telecoms and patient communications onto the GP desktop.

The company is already offering Phonebar to practices that use the EMIS record system and will soon offer it to SystmOne and Vision customers.

Paul Bensley, managing director at X-on, said: “We all know that primary care is under enormous pressure and that GPs need new and effective ways to handle calls and virtual consultations.

“Phonebar is a telecommunications tool that is designed to address those demands by enabling GPs to receive and make phone and video calls and communicate with patients without leaving the desktop.  

“Phonebar pins to the taskbar, from where it can be maximised to handle calls, send SMS and photo requests, and file call recordings and documents back to the GP record; creating a more-seamless working environment for GPs and joined-up service for patients.”

X-on is a pioneer of cloud telephony in the UK and its Surgery Connect system was designed to meet the demands of general practice and is used by surgeries to make sure that patients get through to the right service, faster, while reducing the costs associated with traditional phone systems.

The new Phonebar takes this commitment to creating streamlined and effective communications tools a step further.

When downloaded onto the desktop, and maximised from the taskbar, it gives GPs access to telephony services and patient communications.

From the Phonebar, GPs can select a device from which to receive and make phone and video calls, from the desktop, landline, or their mobile.

They can look up teams and individuals from their practice directory, or a directory that spans a PCN or the ICS, refer to a call history, or enter phone numbers into the system to make calls.

GPs can also utilise integration with the EMIS Appointment List to view patient records and contact patients, send them SMS messages and photo requests, and file multiple interactions back to the record as a single consultation.

Early feedback from practices that have adopted Phonebar has been positive.

One pilot user described it as ‘excellent’, while another said they liked ‘the simplicity of its use and design’. A third said it made it ‘much easier to navigate the contact list and switch between devices and apps’.