17 September 2010
In July, the Trust launched a brand new service to remind patients about their appointments and to help reduce the number of people who fail to turn up.
As a result, patients are now called approximately a week before their appointment is due.
The initiative, which is part of the Trust's service improvement and savings plan, has two main benefits. First, it frees up appointments when we know people can't attend, allowing us to offer them to other people. Second, it saves the Trust money which can be reinvested into improving services - missed appointments cost the Trust £3 million a year.
Early data shows that the scheme is a great success, with the number of missed appointments dropping from 8% to 6.6% in July, saving £45,809 in one month alone.
Charlotte Hamilton, Deputy Director of Operations, said: "This is obviously great news for the Trust and, moreover, we've had some terrific feedback from our patients too, who describe it as a ‘very good service' with one adding ‘It's a good job you reminded me - I must confess I had forgotten.'
"By providing a reminder, we can help those patients who may have forgotten their appointment and also make it easier for patients who wish to cancel or rearrange their appointment to do so. Importantly, we can then offer cancelled appointments to other patients, speeding up the time it takes them to get seen."
The service is free of charge to patients. Patients who wish to opt out can do so by calling the Trust's appointments centre on 020 8296 2968.
Charlotte added: "This is just one of our plans that helps us make savings while, importantly, improving the service we provide our patients."
