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Managing Outpatient Flows

Despite the best efforts of NHS staff, waiting lists for routine NHS care have swollen to levels last seen 15 years ago. There are over 5.6 million people waiting for care already, often in pain and dealing with the uncertainty of when they will be treated. All NHS services are affected, with primary care, hospital care and mental health services seeing the demand for care rise as the immediate threat of Covid-19 recedes. While the number of appointments has increased, so too has the proportion of unattended appointments, which now stands at 22%. This has led to some clinics overbooking outpatient appointments, exacerbating the problem of wait times and poor patient experience. How can digital technologies help?

Engaging patients in the delivery of health care has the potential to improve health outcomes and patient satisfaction. Patient Initiated Follow Up (PIFU) is one way of making appointments more responsive to patient need, thereby minimising the risk of DNAs.  Some studies have shown that PIFU in outpatient care achieves similar health outcomes to standard care across a diverse range of conditions, and generally reduces total number of appointments over time. It also improves patient and clinician satisfaction compared to regular scheduling.