Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, comprising five hospitals, has implemented Capita Software Services’ income collection system. This has allowed the Trust the flexibility to introduce an integrated income collection system throughout the organisation including the:
• pharmacy collection of prescription charges.
• Manchester Vision Centre, which caters for private and overseas patients.
• in-house opticians.
• facility to accept donations by credit/debit cards at fundraising events.
In the past, income payments could only be processed via a desktop receipting system based in a cashier’s office. Now they can be processed at any location in the Trust, with the added functionality of being able to process card payments over the telephone and, in the future, online.
The Trust is on target to achieve a return on investment in just 12 months.
The Trust has recently opened a new hospital complex on its Oxford Road site that has brought children’s services together (based at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital). The development also provides new facilities for Manchester Royal Infirmary and new hospitals for Saint Mary’s and the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital. The Trust provides a range of specialist services at the leading edge of medical science together with a core service for the local Manchester health economy. These translate into an annual revenue income in the order of £660 million.
“The new configuration of services on to one site meant that the Trust had to re-engineer its cash office environment,” said Tom Bates, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. “Capita’s software was integral to this process and added value not only to the Trust, but also provided patients, visitors and staff with more flexible payment options.”
“As the pressure intensifies on the NHS to obtain value for money, it is even more important to put efficient and effective processes in place which reduce overheads and enable funds to be used for direct patient care,” said Chris Cooper, operations director, Capita Software Services. “The Trust is going to have a clearer picture about its income, as the solution plugs into its back office system. This means that information is updated automatically, rather than having to be re-keyed. The patients will benefit from convenience, as they will have the option to make payments in person, over the phone or online. This makes sense in a world where cards are more common than coins.”