Following a successful pilot, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is to roll-out a new online appointment management system.
The system, Netcall’s Patient Hub, will enable patients to confirm, rebook or cancel hospital appointments online, allowing the trust to save time and costs.
Luke Robinson, Digital Outpatients Programme Director at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust “UHS currently sends 1 million appointment letters through the post and, when Patient Hub is fully rolled out, we will be offering all patients the option to be notified by text or email instead – which is quicker and more convenient for them, and also more cost-effective for the Trust.”
“The cost savings, estimated at £150-200k per year, are significant, but much more important is the powerful reporting, which shows us whether a patient has accepted their appointment or not – making it easier to identify which ones are going to attend, and which may need a further reminder. Essentially, being able to offer patients the option of quicker, more convenient digital communications and reduce our costs at the same time is great.”
“Patients can cancel with a single click, and the hub is fully integrated with our switchboard so patients can request a ‘call-me-back’ at a click of a button, meaning they can reschedule without waiting on hold to our patient services centre.”
UHS plans to integrate the solution with its clinical portal My Medical Record, which is designed to help patients with chronic illnesses manage their care. Once the two portals are connected, patients will be able to review their appointments on the Hub and then seamlessly move to MyMedRec to check-in or upload clinical information ahead of time.
Kevin Hamer, My Medical Record Programme Manager at UHS Digital presented the solution as part of HTN Digital Week in January 2020:
Ian Brewer, Head of Information Technology at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust “UHS has had a successful relationship with Netcall for several years, utilising its call handling solution in Switchboard, the IT Service desk, and a number of other departments, and Netcall has been sending our outpatient appointment reminders by telephone and text for a few years.”
