Interdigitate, a North East based customer service and operations transformation consultancy developed its new navigation tool with support from Supply Chain North East. 

Aimed at GP Practice reception teams, the software named Sentiers was developed to help non-medically-trained staff to signpost patients to the most appropriate care.  It means that after a few simple questions, receptionists can reduce the pressure on precious GP appointments by making use of wider healthcare and community teams.  It's an approach that can be really beneficial to patients – meaning they reach the point of care more quickly and which has seen  the project go from strength to strength, with 26 GP Practices signed up in the first year.

Interdigitate supports regulated and growing organisations with process optimisation, customer service change, operational efficiency, leadership development and, demand, capacity and resource planning. There customers include manufacturers, the NHS, education trusts and the third sector.

Interdigitate began working with business advisor, Andy Brown from Supply Chain North East in February 2021, working together to determine a workable product development roadmap and a route to market.  They created the brand that became Sentiers – French for pathways and reflecting the role of the navigation tool in defining the patient journey.   With Supply Chain North East support Interdigitate turned a working idea into a new product which they then took to market.,

Sold to GP practices and NHS Trusts across the UK Sentiers continues to play a crucial role in the company’s growth. Simon Merchant, director commented:

“We are delighted to see that Sentiers is doing so well – we felt there was real need to help GPs manage patient demand and that in doing so, they could connect patients to the care they needed more easily.  Having Supply Chain North East behind us gave us the confidence as a small business to innovate.  At a time when the NHS remains under huge pressure, it’s really rewarding to have developed a product which makes a tangible difference to staff and patients each day.” ”

Supply Chain North East brings together four key partners to work with over 800 businesses through to 2021, supporting them to identify opportunities in new and existing markets. An integral part of the North East Strategic Economic Plan, that has a vision to create 100,000 more and better jobs between 2014 and 2024. , Supply Chain North East is delivered across the region by RTC North, Generator, North East Automotive Alliance (NEAA) and North East Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC).

Supply Chain North East is a multimillion programme aimed at revolutionising the way SMEs diversify their offering and embrace new markets. The programme has received more than £3m of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund, which is part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.