24 August 2010

On 11 August, Barts and the London launched a new SMS text messaging reminder service for patients with outpatient appointments.

Each year, thousands of patients miss their hospital appointments simply because they forget when it is. Text reminders have been proven to substantially reduce the number of missed appointments.

• The new service sends the patient two text message reminders about their forthcoming appointment:
• The first reminder will be sent two weeks in advance of the scheduled appointment
• The second reminder will be sent three days before the appointment
• If the appointment is no longer required or convenient and the patient would like to cancel or reschedule, they will be able to respond to the text message indicating this and a member of the Central Appointments team will then contact them to cancel and/or reschedule their appointment

Patients are being notified about this new service in their appointment letters and information leaflets are being distributed in outpatient clinics. Patients have the option to opt out of the service.

Benefits to patients and GPs:

At Barts and The London last year, there were 94,000 missed outpatient appointments. Reducing the DNA rates in outpatient clinics will:

• Reduce waiting times for patients
• Significantly reduce the number of patients who are discharged back to the GP when they miss their first appointment in the hospital. GPs will therefore have fewer repeat attendees needing new referrals to the hospital
• Allow for better clinic management and capacity management

The text reminder service is being introduced in two phases, with all outpatient services scheduled to be using text reminders, where possible, by October 2010.

If you have any questions, please contact: Gregory Bird, Deputy General Manager, Outpatient Services by email at gregory.bird@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk