We talk to Adnan Riaz about Virtual Waiting Room which is revolutionising access to urgent care for patients and clinicians.

We talk to Adnan Riaz, Product Director, Integrated Care Unit at CLEO Systems about the new CLEO Systems - CLEO Virtual Waiting Room which is revolutionising access to urgent care for patients and clinicians.

Can you tell us about the new CLEO Virtual Waiting Room please?’

CLEO Virtual Waiting Room - or CLEO VWR- is automating and streamlining patient flow in a variety of settings. It’s really simple, but so effective. Patients waiting to speak to clinicians from home or in fact anywhere including work or on holiday are placed in a ‘live’ queue and they are then automatically connected to the next available clinician.

It allows clinicians to view patient records, assess priority and initiate consultations when clinicians are ready, all to ensure that the clinician can contact the patient first time, every time.

This is all without any manual intervention – so it speeds up triage and saves clinician – and patient time. It really is transforming the way care is delivered overall.

CLEO VWR was developed to solve inefficiencies in urgent care workflows. What were the biggest challenges clinicians faced before this technology came along?

Let’s look at a 111 call centre, for example, on a Saturday. If you are a clinician, you will probably have a long list to go through of patient cases who want to talk to you. You then have to go through that list to make a decision on which patient to call. You might then find that another clinician has spoken to the patient, or the patient might be engaged or not answer the phone. This is lots of wasted time both for the patient and the clinician.  

There is a real burden on clinicians and the healthcare system, too much time spent on administration, and not enough time being able to care. CLEO VWR takes away all these inefficiencies and speeds up the process.  

So talk us through how CLEO VWR works?

CLEO VWR moves us on from ‘list-based calling’, as it automates and streamlines patient flow, but it’s more than just a digital queue.  It speeds up triage and automatically calls the next patient that should be talking to a clinician. The patient is in the virtual waiting room as the clinician presses ‘next’, so there’s no waiting about for clinicians AND the patient knows they will be spoken to!

The integration of AI and automation allows the system to orchestrate care delivery in real time, supporting both clinical and operational teams. It’s a perfect example of how digital tools can amplify human expertise and make healthcare more responsive and resilient.

It’s great for the patient – not waiting long to be called back and great for the clinician, gets straight through to the right patient!

What’s the feedback from people who are using VWR?

There are some great benefits for both clinicians and patients. Firstly, CLEO VWR enhances efficiency and reduces delays across the care pathway. By streamlining workflows, it speeds up triage and saves clinicians a substantial amount of time. We’ve seen over 460 clinician hours saved per month in one case!

This increased efficiency translates directly into improved patient safety and experience, as clinicians are able to focus more on quality care rather than administrative tasks. We’ve also seen around a 50% increase in cases managed per hour, which means patients are being seen and treated faster.

And importantly, satisfaction levels reflect that impact, with 98% of clinicians and patients reporting positive feedback. So CLEO VWR is delivering measurable improvements in efficiency, safety and patient experience.

Interoperability is important – tell us more about that with regards to VWR?

CLEOVWR is system-agnostic, meaning no disruption to your existing infrastructure.  VWR works effortlessly with existing patient management systems, including CLEO Urgent Care, ensuring consistent and accurate workflows. It’s also quick and easy to implement and for people to get to grips with.

How does CLEO TWR align with the NHS 10 year plan?

As for the 10 year plan sets out: ‘We will use digital technology and automation to free up clinical time to care, by reducing time spent on administration and clerical work– it’s all about moving from analogue to digital and towards neighbourhood care – and CLEO VWR is perfect for this!

The plan recognises that many A&E visits happen because patients don’t know where else to go, our tools can help bridge the gap between 111, primary care, and community services, ensuring patients are directed appropriately

It’s bringing care closer to home and reducing the burden on clinicians while making the patient experience so much better.

CLEO has a strong track record in bringing transformative digital tools to healthcare, how does the Virtual Waiting Room fit into the company’s wider mission and long-term strategy?

CLEO Systems has a strong track record of bringing transformative technologies into clinical settings, such as electronic prescribing in secondary care and pharmacy integration. The Virtual Waiting Room is the next step in this journey.

While the initial focus is on urgent care, the potential use cases are far broader. Any healthcare setting that relies on remote consultations or triage could benefit from this model. CLEO is already exploring how this technology can be adapted across different services and sectors.

We bought the original development team behind The Waiting Room into CLEO and this has that enriched innovation culture and accelerated development.

This is about more than just urgent care, it’s about reimagining patient experience and future-proofing healthcare delivery.

Looking ahead, where do you see Virtual Waiting Room can be applied?

VWR Connects the right patient, with the right clinician, at the right time. If your business needs to call back patients then this system can be applied and make a proven-up lift in productivity and efficiency. Virtual Waiting Room can be configured to your business priorities. An inbound case is prioritised based on a combination of key items, such as, the inbound service, any specialisms that may be available, DX Code, the length of consultation time and the length of time a patient should be waiting in the Virtual Waiting Room. VWR delivers services in line with both clinical need and business requirements.

 

CLEO Systems - Transforming Urgent Care: The CLEO Virtual Waiting Room Solution and solution page: CLEO Systems - CLEO Virtual Waiting Room