18/03/10

Patients with hospital appointments are being texted an appointment reminder – in a bid to reduce the numbers of patients who don’t turn up, and don’t tell the hospital.

More than 39,000 appointments are missed (but not cancelled) each year. This costs Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust more than £4million in lost income.

Sean Elyan, Medical Director, said: “When people fail to turn up for their outpatients appointment it’s a terrible waste. It’s a lost opportunity for another patient, it’s a waste of time for the doctors and nurses who run the clinics, a waste of the efforts of the booking staff and administrators who are trying to run an efficient service.

“And of course it’s a waste of money - around £100 per appointment.”

Text reminders are now being sent to patients with appointments in Diabetes, Endocrinology, Acute Paediatric appointments, Gynaecology, Orthopaedics and Dermatology at Cheltenham General and Gloucestershire Royal Hospitals. It will be gradually rolled out to all OP clinics.

Texts are sent 7 days before the appointment. The message includes a reminder of the date, time and location of their appointment and asks them to confirm whether they will or won’t be attending, with the option to rebook.

James Tubman, who is managing the texting project said: “The service is good for patients who might otherwise forget their appointment and will help us to run more efficient clinics and regain some of the lost income.”

This project is being championed by important frontline staff such as the reception staff in outpatient departments, the Booking Office Team and medical secretaries – just some of those who are helping to make texting make a difference.

Patients will continue to get their usual written appointment letter, and not everyone will receive a text reminder, as the Trust is still collecting mobile phone numbers. As the service rolls out, patients are being encouraged to complete one of the leaflets available in the outpatients departments.