New General Enquiry Line
Members of the public contacting NHS Lanarkshire for general information can expect an even better service after the launch of a new phone line.
The new General Enquiry Line was opened on Monday 5 May, and provides a central point for members of the public and NHS Lanarkshire staff groups to obtain general information.
The new service will ensure callers are given help to access the services or information they require. The aim of the initiative is to provide the public and staff with answers or point them in the proper direction when they have a general question about NHS Lanarkshire.
The service is designed to make the public’s first experience of contacting NHS Lanarkshire, as easy as possible. The new service will concentrate on general enquiries and there will be no change to the way specific patient enquiries, such as appointments, requests to speak to clinical staff, etc, are currently dealt with.
The line advisors will do all they can to give a caller the information they require at the first time of calling, however, if some enquiries cannot be answered at that time, the advisor will happily take the caller’s details and ring them back with an answer.
Similarly, where a caller highlights an area where they have had difficulty accessing information or other feedback about NHS Lanarkshire, the advisor will record this.This information will then be fed back to the appropriate manager to help NHS Lanarkshire become a more accessible and user-friendly organisation.
Manager of the service is Christine McNeill, who is also the Hospital Administration Manager at Monklands Hospital.
She said: “Once in operation, this service will improve the public’s experience of contacting NHS Lanarkshire.
“Our staff have first class listening skills to establish the nature of all the enquiries which come their way and will do their best to ensure every assistance is given to people when they call and we can deal with their enquiry.
“They have also been trained to deal with all calls in a responsive and informative manner and maintain a calm demeanour when dealing with difficult calls.”
The new General Enquiry Line will be open Monday to Thursday, 9am to 5pm – 9am to 4.30pm on a Friday – with an answer phone to collect calls outwith these hours.
It can be contacted on 08453 130 130.