NHS Highland | Reducing Waiting Lists and Freeing Up Capacity
NHS Highland were keen to implement a way to validate patients on their waiting lists and prioritise patients in order of urgency.
Utilising all appointment slots with a solution that pays for itself
‘Did Not Attend’ (DNA) rates are a problem for many hospitals and NHS Trusts. The Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust DNA rate was 7.6% for new patients and 8.9% for follow-ups. The average cost of each DNA was £101.
They had tried text reminders with variable success. An effective appointment reminder solution was urgently needed to manage reminders for 850,000 appointments per year. Primarily, the hospital wanted to ensure that all patients received their required care in a timely manner. But it was also important financially to prevent wasted appointment slots. These slots could be re-utilised for other patients, assisting with both objectives.
Remind+ is a feature of Liberty Converse, Netcall’s omnichannel contact centre solution.
“We are aiming to obtain a 30% DNA reduction, which will equate to £1 million saving per year for the Trust.”
Paul Harriman
Assistant Director, Sheffield Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Remind+ is an automated voice and text message appointment reminder feature. It reminds patients about upcoming appointments and allows them to confirm attendance, cancel or rebook. It works from either landline or mobile phones.
Patient data does not leave the hospital site, so there is no issue with data protection regulations.
Remind+ has a highly configurable architecture built on years of experience, to maximise patient responses.
Specific departments can implement subtle changes to the messaging, generating huge improvements in response rates.
Remind+ gathers information, in real time, about whether the patient intends to attend, re-book or cancel the appointment. This allows Trust to re-book any cancelled appointment times.
This flexible solution works really well across a whole Trust and can have a fantastic impact on reducing hospital DNA rates.
“Like all solutions we have encountered teething problems and have proposed modifications to the core system. Netcall staff responded to these requests and these system changes should help us to further improve our DNA reduction.”
Paul Harriman
Assistant Director, Sheffield Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
ROI
achieved in 5 weeks
£1m
DNA savings per annum
20-40%
reduction in DNA rate
With our contact centre solution, Liberty Converse, you’ve got the tools and AI to deliver standout self-service, omnichannel interactions and customer experience analytics
NHS Highland were keen to implement a way to validate patients on their waiting lists and prioritise patients in order of urgency.
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