An increasing number of NHS and healthcare bodies are rolling out kiosks in a bid to lower costs, free up staff and improve customer service. Touch screen kiosks offer a convenient solution to a variety of modern-day health service challenges and over the year’s we have worked with a number of NHS organisations to develop and deploy innovative solutions.
From prescription payment kiosks that have enabled A&E departments to capture thousands in lost revenue to queue-busting software that significantly improved the experience at one sexual health clinic, we look back at three examples of successful NHS kiosk applications:
Barnet and Chase Farm Hospital, now part of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation, is just one of the hospitals that have rolled out our healthcare kiosks. The hospital wanted to introduce a simple- use self-service machine that sported an engaging screen flow which would take payments for prescriptions as well as issuing receipts that the patient could take to the pharmacy to collect their prescription. This would mean that the pharmacy could then concentrate on issuing medicines and leave the likes of cash collection to the kiosk.
To solve the problem, the hospital approached Cammax and we worked together on various kiosk designs.
The kiosk needed to be able to take cash and debit and credit cards, as well as being able to issue change. Further to this, the machine’s cash carrying capacity needed to be spacey as it was vital the machine didn’t run out of change or paper for receipts during peak times. Cammax listened to the needs of the hospital and met the change requirement by developing a machine with a large and extremely strong change carrying hopper.
The developers at Cammax also created a secure real time online audit system to report all of the kiosk’s sales in real time meaning alerts can be set up and monitored by the customer, e.g. if the receipt paper is low, an e-mail will be sent to the necessary person so the new paper can be installed.
Cash takings in the machine were also monitored so cash can be removed and change added when needed.
Cammax has also installed two prescription payment kiosks in the Minor Injuries Unit reception at Mount Vernon Hospital and A&E reception at Hillingdon Hospital.
The kiosks were designed to handle payments for both prescriptions and deposits for hospital equipment such as crutches and walking aids. In total, as many as five departments use the Hillingdon kiosk including Chronic Pain, Physiotherapy, Maternity, A&E and Day Surgery.
The kiosks are able to accept cash and most leading credit and debit cards. Following any payment, the machine will also issue two receipts with one going to the patient and the other retained by hospital staff to allow prescriptions to be dispensed or equipment to be provided. The kiosk system also helps to ensure that important equipment is returned after use. The machine also reminds patients that the hospital requires a £10 deposit for crutches and £30 deposit for a TENS machine.