Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Texts will remind patients of hospital appointments


* Texts will be sent to remind outpatients of appointments at Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, which covers Llangollen, has launched a text message reminder service for all outpatient appointments.
In future, patients will be asked for a mobile phone number at the time of booking and agreeing their appointment date and time.
 
Four days before the appointment they will receive a text reminder to confirm their appointment arrangements.
 
Patients can choose not to receive such a reminder.
Rachel Whitehall, the board's assistant director planned care, said: “Lives are getting busier, and it is all too easy to forget an outpatient appointment, particularly when the date is fixed well in advance.
 
"But each missed appointment wastes staff time and leaves other patients having to wait longer to be seen. By introducing this service we hope not only to help patients themselves with a gentle reminder, but also reduce the number of no shows at outpatient clinics.
“The new text service started on Monday, November 19 and if we can demonstrate that patients are finding the service useful and the ‘did not attend’ rates are reducing, the text service will become a permanent feature."

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