The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust | Outpatients transformation
RCHT embarked on an outpatient transformation programme to optimise their referrals and give patients greater control and convenience with their appointments
Improving patient experience and appointment utilisation rates
Chesterfield Royal Hospital, along with the rest of the NHS, has faced challenges with managing DNA rates for outpatient appointments. Letters can get lost in the post, are forgotten about or arrive after the appointment. Sometimes the patient’s circumstances change and they forget to cancel. Patients didn’t understand the wait for postal information and it often caused confusion.
And all of these missed appointments have costly impacts on the Trust. Relying on postal services was no longer enough for patients or the Hospital.
The Trust deployed Patient Hub, an online portal which a patient can use to check and manage their appointment.
“Patient Hub is about giving our patients an improved experience and control over their appointments. As it’s integrated with our booking and telephony systems, it’s more convenient and faster for patients and staff to manage a rebooking or cancellation. Reallocating freed appointments to other patients shortens their waiting time, maximises utilisation and reduces DNAs.”
Ian Hazel
Director of ICT and Informatics, Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Patient Hub can be used on any mobile device or tablet securely – with 2-factor security offering patients 24/7 access to their appointment information.
Patient Hub is integrated with the booking and telephony systems, making it convenient and fast for patients and staff to manage a rebooking or cancellation. Patients who do not digitally connect or respond in the timeframe are automatically sent postal letters.
Many outpatient appointments take place via video link or over the phone. Patient Hub allows the Trust to clearly communicate whether the appointment is in person, or remote to reduce the risk of an unnecessary trip.
Video links often feature long urls which are difficult to type from a letter; Patient Hub provides a simple click of a button to seamlessly arrive at the Attend Anywhere video portal virtual clinic.
Chesterfield put in place a strong comms plan across multiple platforms and media to drive the success of the project. The Booking Team advisors helped patients to go digital with phone support.
This contributed to the initial success of improving patient flow and engaging patients to manage 66% of new appointments digitally.
“This investment has paid off for today and future efficiencies, reducing errors and improving the patient experience. Teams should not underestimate the need to update each department’s appointment process work. A smooth transition to digital comes from having 100% understanding of their processes.”
Claire Carson
Associate Director of Performance and Information, Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Phase two of the project saw Chesterfield on board all new appointments across specialities, followed by all follow-up and mixed appointments. The Trust continues to drive patient experience and improve utilisation rates for appointments.
50% +
cost saving in postage
66%
uptake in initial 4 months
Easy & Instant
for patients to access
Deliver positive benefits to patients, staff and your Trust with Patient Hub
RCHT embarked on an outpatient transformation programme to optimise their referrals and give patients greater control and convenience with their appointments
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