A text message reminder service at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Children’s Hearing Service has launched with an aim to reduce missed appointments.
The trust said the reminder service is being introduced to tackle “on average one in five patients missing their appointments without informing the service in advance”. The trust also noted an estimated cost to the NHS of “£160 per appointment” and that “more importantly, it means that the slot cannot be offered to another child needing help”.
A text message service has been used at the trust for its outpatient appointments, showing “that sending reminders significantly reduces the number of missed appointments”, the trust added.
The service went live last week to all Children’s Hearing Patients and is set to expand to all children’s community services shortly. The reminders are sent out seven days prior to an appointment and again 48 hours before, including the ability to re-book the appointment.
Diane Booth, Head of Children’s Community Services, commented: “We appreciate how busy people are and how easy it can be to forget an appointment or mislay an appointment card, this system will provide families with that reminder and also provide the facility to re-book the appointment, the service can then offer this slot to another child which in turn will help to reduce waiting lists.”
HTN recently reported on text messaging being used at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust with an aim to reduce waiting times for elective care. The trust is sending patients on its waiting list at University Hospital, Coventry or the Hospital of St Cross, Rugby a short survey by text message or postal letter to understand if there are any changes to their condition.
