Healthcare Communications work with 2 Welsh University Health Boards to reduce DNAs by 50%

A shocking 162,000 hospital appointments were missed last year between 2 Welsh Health Boards! 90,000 out patients from Cardiff and Vale University Health Board Region did not attend (DNA’s) and 72,000 in Cwm Taf University Health Board (HB) were also no shows. The financial cost to the HB’s are immense at approximately £150 per appointment, up to £24.5 million a year!. This also means the slot can’t be reused, increasing waiting times for all patients and wasting clinicians time and resources.

The Solution

Cardiff and Vale UHB decided to launch a new reminder service to tackle the crisis and began working with Healthcare Communications introducing Intergrated Voice Messaging (IVM) to remind and confirm patient appointments. This was carried out 4 weeks prior to the appointment and then with a final IVM call a week before the slot.

The impact was astounding! Matthew Temby, Head of Operations and Delivery for clinical diagnostics and therapeutics clinic board explains ‘…the results are really encouraging. In particluar, the numbers of those who did not attend have halfed in the areas we’ve worked with.’

Healthcare Communications are now working with the Cardiff and Vale’s gynaecology department providing conversational SMS reminders to improve clinic capacity. Patients can now confirm or cancel their appointment by text, rather than relying solely on patients to phone in confirmation after receving a letter prompt.

Cwm Taf University HB aim to reduce DNA’s by 30%, which will free up more than 21,000 appointments! To ensure this is achieved we’re working with Cwm Taf providing SMS and IVM so the board can make use of the cancelled appointments!.

Check out the Feature Article here and call us on 0845 890 9000 to discuss what solution will work for your department.