Brother print solution helps free up GPs and nurses to focus on patient care.

Take a look at this case study, taken from one of our partners, Brother who are currently making strides within healthcare technology.

The printers in GP surgeries play an important role in patient contact, running off prescriptions and forms all day every day. When they are working properly, it’s easy to forget about them and operations run smoothly. But, when the toner needs replacing or technical support is required, this can be an unwelcome interruption to a very busy schedule. This is a challenge that will be familiar to many NHS health centres around the country, and one that was faced by East- London surgery, Fullwell Cross Medical Centre in Ilford.

Tackling inefficiency

Fullwell Cross is a busy practice, helping many patients every day through both in person and phone consultations. Previously, when printer toner ran out, which happened on an almost weekly basis, doctors or nurses would often have to break off to locate a replacement from the storeroom and install it. This meant precious time away from seeing patients and, in some instances, could lead to increased patient waiting times. The need for regular replacements also meant that the surgery kept supplies of several weeks’ worth or more of toner on site, and surgery staff would have to manage stock levels to ensure it never ran out. It also meant phoning for technical support whenever there was an issue or maintenance was required.

This was clearly neither an efficient way of working, nor cost savvy, as working with third-party suppliers made forecasting spend on consumables difficult.

Time with patients, not printers

The surgery was looking for a way to avoid the excessive time being spent by staff on managing printers. This would help minimise the admin burden on staff, freeing them up to focus on delivering the best possible patient care.

Three reasons to buy genuine

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Consistently high quality

Independent testing has found Brother Genuine Supplies to provide a more consistent page yield, with a higher calibre of printing than any third-party alternatives. In fact, they are six times more consistent than non-genuine cartridges*, with one brand of third-party toner producing poor quality printouts 70 per cent of the time.

Tested for security

Some third-party toners can leave an overlay of the previous print run as residue on the rollers, which can then be carried over to future documents. While this is a relatively small risk, when highly sensitive medical information is involved, it is not one that is worth taking. Brother Genuine Supplies are tested and guaranteed to eliminate the issue.

Reduced costs and down-time

If a third-party toner causes damage to part of a printer such as the drum or fuser, replacement can cost as much as a new printer. That’s not to mention the inconvenience a broken printer can cause in a busy environment. Don’t take the risk.

Cost-effective and predictable

In order to streamline the ordering process, the surgery has signed up to the Brother Print Service (BPS), which enables automatic supplies re-ordering using web-connected printers. Under the new agreement, the surgery now enjoys the reliability and quality of Brother Genuine Supplies with better visibility on costs.

Connected and under control

Now, whenever a printer is running low on toner, a new one is automatically sent out by mail. This arrives at the surgery with the name of the specific printer on the box, and clear installation instructions inside. A member of staff simply changes the toner over as and when it arrives, with no need for supply management or storage at the surgery’s end. Waste disposal is also taken care of, as the surgery simply posts used toners back to Brother free of charge for recycling.

As well as this, Brother monitors printer performance and usage and can advise the surgery on the best way to manage their hardware to maximise its lifespan. For example, if a printer is over-working it can make sense to share the load with another unit in order to reduce the likelihood of breakdowns or premature replacement being needed.

Read more on the great work done by Brother here. 

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