Hi-Tech Tonic May Provide a Cure

By Sharon Baker; CAROLINE WHEELER

Hospitals are looking to new technology to try to reduce the number of missed appointments each year.

As reported, in the last 12 months the health service experienced 15,170 missed hospital appointments in North East Lincolnshire.

This, coupled with the staggering 50,277 missed appointments reported by Lincolnshire Teaching PCT – which covers Louth County Hospital – is costing the local NHS the equivalent of millions of pounds every year.

However, hospitals say new technology to cut the number of non- arrivals is gaining in popularity.

For example, the Choose And Book system, launched in 2004, is a national electronic referral service which gives patients a choice of place, date and time for their first outpatient appointment in any NHS hospital or clinic in the UK.

Spokesman for Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals Trust Simon Rigg said: “The introduction of Choose And Book has helped bring down the number of appointments patients miss, as they can now choose a date that is convenient for them to attend hospital.

“We have also introduced a system this year where we ring people to remind them of their appointment.

“However, we would also ask patients themselves to help us by informing us when they move house or change their telephone number in case we need to get in contact with them.”

The Department of Health say Choose And Book is just one way of reducing no-shows, although it stresses patients have a responsibility to keep their hospital appointments or cancel them in good time.

A DoH spokesman added: “Providing reliable access to NHS services, and encouraging patients to use the NHS sensibly and responsibly, is important in reducing the number of missed appointments.

“We want to make it easier for people to be able to cancel appointments by improving practice telephone systems and encouraging the use of SMS texts and email.

“Other initiatives, such as electronic booking, are helping too.

“We will also continue to promote other options for seeing a GP or nurse, such as NHS Walk-in Centres where appointments are unnecessary, and expect that these new services will continue to reduce the number of missed appointments.”

(c) 2008 Grimsby Telegraph. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.