Ostomy Lifestyle
Client description:
Needing to deliver important health services, Berkshire-based charity Ostomy Lifestyle’s advice to stoma surgery patients offered on its 0800 telephone lines must be dispensed with 100% efficiency.
The medical conditions that lead to stoma surgery affect people of any age, gender, profession or race. The charity was established in 2007, in response to the lack of accessible information about ostomy issues.
The charity seeks to empower people, enabling them to make informed choices and to communicate frankly about all aspects of the surgery. “We are working to raise awareness of ostomy topics among the medical profession and the general public,” explains the charity’s Neil Basil. “Having a stoma should not be a barrier to leading a full life.”
He and his 16 colleagues offer impartial advice, and aim to inspire callers that barriers can be overcome.
The charity produces a regular newsletter, information sheets, and a website.
Advice given on the telephone complements existing healthcare services, to reduce the challenges that patients have to confront head-on.
“Our support services must be accessible to people of all backgrounds – so using our telephone system is perfect for this,” says Neil Basil. Someone can call needing basic stoma care advice and have their problems solved quickly, without needing to visit a hospital or local GP.”
Analysis and history of Gradwell’s VoIP service:
“We were still establishing Ostomy Lifestyle in 2007, and moving into new premises - so were looking for a solution that would adapt and grow with us,” explains Neil Basil. Gradwell’s advice and ability to provide what the charity required was well-documented and explained.
“Most of our staff work at our office in Reading – but some of our volunteers and Trustees benefit from the flexibility that working from home offers. We are now more likely to conduct meetings over the telephone, taking advantage of teleconferencing facilities.”
Helpline staff spend their time responding to queries from callers, as well as researching bowel and bladder topics and conducting training courses for nurses, support groups, and medical industry companies.
“VoIP worked very well from the start for us, once basic glitches were resolved,” comments Neil Basil.
Calls to Gradwell’s support team have been entirely satisfactory, he added.
“VoIP has given us the flexibility we need; it allows us capacity and functionality that we would otherwise not achieve.
“VoIP is a very technical service - so it needs a fair bit of involvement from our own staff; but we are learning all the time and Gradwell’s support staff resolve any problems quickly.”
Please see www.ostomylifestyle.org