We are very excited to announce that very soon you will be hearing our virtual receptionist when you call us, but don't worry, Ben and Sammy-Jo will still be there if you need them.  We believe that AI should enhance human activity rather than replace it.  We have also improved our call handling system in response to your feedback, so hopefully everyone will get a better experience.

Our assistant can talk to you, answer some of the many questions we get asked, and take messages for our team members including repeat prescription requests and requests for callbacks.  This service means you won't have to wait to speak to someone, and our team will have more time to spend supporting our patients in the clinic.  We also have the ability to do all of this at any time of day or night too, so it's great if you need to get through to us after hours.  All we need now is a name for our receptionist - polite recommendations are gratefully received - just leave a message for reception using the virtual receptionist with your suggestion.

We will soon be adding the ability for you to book or cancel appointments, probably from the end of April - just watch this space!

Why we are doing this

You deserve great healthcare, and our entire team is doing that.  This is just another team member who can help you access the care you need any time of day or night, every day of the year.  We hope that by collecting clearer messages guided by the system, by ensuring correct phone number details, and by reducing wait times at the front desk, everyone will get better care as a result.    We will be assessing the impact of the new system on work flows in the practice once we have given it a fair test.  We are also interested in your feedback - just call us and leave a message with our virtual receptionist!

Why not hire a human?

With the best will in the world, having a human working all day and all night is not affordable in primary care, and the additional support during the day is a nice addition to the out of hours service we can now offer.

Who is involved?

We have partnered with Heron AI, an NZ based AI company specialising in the healthcare space.

Is my information secure?

Heron have been accredited by an independent agency authorised for government work, and any information you choose to give to the AI is kept within their system, rather than being shared with wider AI models.  Heron has very little access to your information.  If you are concerned about security, please feel free to speak to our virtual receptionist, or to us if you require further assurance.

Can I still speak with a human?

Sure - we hope that with more people leaving messages and asking questions of our virtual receptionist, it will be easier and faster to get through to a real person when you need one.

More questions?

Please phone and speak with the virtual receptionist.  If you don't get a good answer, leave us a message and one of the team will get back to you.  We can also add useful questions to the repertoire that our receptionist has available to answer.