From chaos to calm
Before EMMA arrived, Dr Yasin Surgery faced a daily battle that will be familiar to most GP practices across the NHS. The phone lines opened at 8am and within minutes, the queue would stretch into double figures. Two reception staff were responsible for managing 6,000 patients, and the phones dominated every working hour.
Practice Manager Ahmed describes the situation candidly: "The phones dictated the day. It was hard to get anything else done properly."
Patients would wait on hold for 25 to 30 minutes, only to discover that all appointments had been taken by the time their call was answered. Between 15 and 20 percent of callers abandoned their calls entirely each day, a figure that represents hundreds of patients every week unable to access the care they needed.
The impact extended beyond patient frustration. Reception staff were trapped in a reactive cycle, unable to complete administrative tasks, support clinicians effectively, or provide the quality of service they wanted to deliver. Something had to change.
Instant Transformation
The results were immediate and dramatic. From day one of EMMA's deployment, 100 percent of calls were answered instantly.
The transformation in key metrics tells the story:
Average patient wait time dropped from over 25 minutes to approximately 10 seconds. Reception workload reduced by 80 percent. The abandoned call rate plummeted from 15 to 20 percent down to under 1 percent.
EMMA now handles 524 calls per week at Dr Yasin Surgery, each one answered without delay, each patient triaged appropriately, and each request routed to the right destination without consuming reception time.
Protecting Jobs, Empowering Staff
One of the most significant outcomes at Dr Yasin Surgery was what did not happen: no staff lost their jobs.
EMMA was integrated without redundancies. Instead, the technology freed reception staff from the relentless pressure of phone handling and allowed them to redirect their skills toward patient care and essential administrative work.
Ahmed has tested this with his team directly: "I've asked staff if they want the system switched off, and the answer is always no."
The practice now saves 27 hours and 20 minutes of staff time every week. That is equivalent to gaining almost a full additional team member without any increase in headcount. Staff morale has improved, patient interactions are calmer, and the reception area is no longer dominated by the sound of ringing phones.
Measurable Value for Primary Care
For practice managers evaluating AI telephony solutions, the numbers from Dr Yasin Surgery provide a clear benchmark:
A practice of 6,000 patients with just two reception staff went from chronic access problems to instant call answering within 24 hours. The 80 percent reduction in reception phone load means those staff members can now contribute to the broader operation of the practice rather than being anchored to the telephone system.
The virtually eliminated abandonment rate means patients who previously gave up trying to contact the surgery are now getting through and receiving the care they need. For practices under scrutiny regarding access metrics, this represents a fundamental improvement in service delivery.
Sustainable Operations
The weekly output of 524 calls handled by EMMA demonstrates that this is not a marginal improvement but a fundamental shift in how the practice operates. EMMA handles the volume reliably, consistently, and without the variability that comes with human fatigue, sickness absence, or staff turnover.
For Ahmed and his team, the transformation has been about regaining control. The practice now operates proactively rather than reactively, with staff able to plan their days, complete their work, and provide better service to patients who visit in person.
A Model for NHS Primary Care
Dr Yasin Surgery's experience demonstrates what becomes possible when GP practices adopt AI telephony that genuinely works. The surgery serves as proof that practices do not need to accept poor patient access as inevitable, and that improving access does not require expanding headcount or budgets.
The key metrics achieved by Dr Yasin Surgery are now being replicated across QuantumLoopAI's growing network of NHS practices. For practice managers, GP partners, and ICB commissioners looking to address the access crisis in primary care, this case study shows what can be achieved within 24 hours of deployment.
