Isle of Wight NHS Belief has been capable of cut back its ready lists by 12%, following the implementation of Healthcare Communications’ Ready Listing Validation.
The belief used SMS notifications and digital types to find out whether or not sufferers nonetheless required therapy. They achieved a 70% response price – equating to five,312 responses throughout each inpatient and outpatient departments. These responses meant the belief was capable of take away 12% of sufferers from ready lists – with a complete of 656 sufferers indicating that therapy was not required.
Isle of Wight NHS Belief labored intently with Healthcare Communications to make sure that the right terminology and templates had been in place over the six-week planning and testing interval. Following this, there was an extra two weeks the place sufferers had been contacted.
Sufferers who had been on a selected ready checklist for greater than 12 weeks acquired a textual content message about their therapy and whether or not they nonetheless required an appointment or process. Throughout the textual content message was a singular four-digit code and a hyperlink to a brief questionnaire. Sufferers got 24 hours to reply. For individuals who didn’t reply, or who had not given a cellular phone quantity, a letter was despatched by submit, with a QR code to entry the questionnaire.
To make sure sufferers had been snug with the brand new SMS communication technique, Isle of Wight NHS Belief arrange a devoted cellphone line and inbox to answer any issues, queries or questions. As well as, the belief publicised its plans forward of implementation, with a public-facing communications marketing campaign by way of on-line media.
Rachel Dominey, affiliate director, Isle of Wight NHS Belief, mentioned: “Having by no means executed a digital engagement train of this nature earlier than, we had been uncertain how properly it could be acquired on the Island significantly given the older inhabitants and false impression that sufferers choose to phone the hospital. Nevertheless, we had been pleasantly stunned on the uptake from our sufferers to interact with the hospital digitally, with virtually 20% saying they want future communications to succeed in them through textual content message.”
Kenny Bloxham, managing director, Healthcare Communications, added: “The short success of this challenge not solely displays the devoted efforts of the belief but additionally establishes a benchmark for different rural trusts serving ageing populations that is likely to be hesitant to embrace digital applied sciences.”
The belief is now working to document extra cell phone numbers for its sufferers and to unify all digital communications by way of the implementation of Healthcare Communications’ affected person engagement portal. Isle of Wight NHS Belief is planning to go dwell with the regional PEP as early as April 2024, and additional combine the answer with the NHS App and Wayfinder later this yr.
Tackling prolonged ready lists is turning into ever extra necessary – final yr we noticed Well being Name launch its ready checklist validation instrument in a bid to assist NHS trusts obtain elective restoration.
