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Extra clinics set up to cope with patient numbers

anna29

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4,789
Location
Preston Lancashire
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Hi All.
Today I rang my diabetes consultants secretary to change an appointment .

Was suprised to hear that 'extra' clinics are being set up to cope with patient numbers/demands.
Plus a text the patient appointment reminder system on mobile's is set up now - a text to remind patients of
date and time - to attend their appointments
[this is to try and reduce the numbers of "non attendance" ]

The new clinics will be held in the afternoons now , alongside the usual morning clinics still held .
Am pleased to hear this news as it is much better for me than an early morning appointment :thumbup:

Am wondering ' if ' this is happening elsewhere in the UK ...
Other 'extra' clinics and appointment reminder system being set up to cope with patient numbers/demands ?

Anna.
 
Dont know about extra clinics but i have recieved text reminders for last 3 years of all my sons hospital appointments, get it a week before any appointment, some of his can be set up 6 months + in advance. My better half works as IT services manager for the same hospital and this is a standard practice.
Jess
 
Update on this - yesterday I recieved a text alerting me to the
X-pert Diabetes Course.
I am starting on monday 6 weekly course .
Was suprised to recieve this - but see it as a positive step to remind and alert people
to attend these bookings or appointments. :thumbup:

Anna.
 
My T1 husband's appointments always used to be at the hospital. Now they are being held in a nearby Health Centre. If we didn't have a car, he's have hugge difficulties getting there. We were told it's on the grounds of cost.
It's only about 2 1/2 miles away across the fields and through the woods. Much further by road and with minimal public transport. There is a train, but a long walk from the station and over a mile to "our" station too. A T1 with his foot in plaster treating a resistant ulcer cannot do that. Still I got him there!
Hana
 
I expect extra clinics and having to draft in extra staff and GP's on their days off will become commonplace as budgets are squeezed and more people are diagnosed with Diabetes.
 
Hi Anna, my GP surgery send a text message, the day before an appointment If my memory is correct and has done for at least the last year or so but I cant remember exactly when it was introduced. Like you I expect it is to try to stop the "did not attend" ers (DNA).

Another way to stop them of course would be to offer appointments on the same day that you phone, you know, when you are actually ill :roll: too much to expect though I guess,.

My surgery do offer a duty doctor call back service for urgent appointments though so it usually works out OK but if I want to see my own doctor quite often the wait is up to two weeks!!! Not good is it?
 
Sid Bonkers said:
Another way to stop them of course would be to offer appointments on the same day that you phone, you know, when you are actually ill :roll: too much to expect though I guess,.
Click to expand...



Both my wife and I have to do this when wanting an appointment at our gp surgery's, only exception is when booking blood tests with nurse or if the gp/nurse wants a follow-up appointment.

It's OK but sometimes it's a pain getting through first thing in a morning, more often than enough you'll get an emergency appointment on the day where you get a 5 min appointment.
 
It would be beneficial if they did this at my hospital, but clinic hours have been shortened (which means I can no longer have an appointment first thing at 9am), my hospital also used to send the text alerts, but stopped doing this a few years ago.

The clinics are always extremely busy and overrun a lot and the admin side isn't all that good, my last appointment (3rd January) for my DSN they didn't have my file as none of the admin staff had it written down that I was coming in. I've also been sent a cancellation letter via post 2 hours before a clinic appointment, but not called to tell me that my appointment had been cancelled. (waste of a journey & missing work!)
 
My surgery operates a text reminder service and I can book appointments, order repeat prescriptions and send the surgery messages via EMIS online. In our PCT we generally have diabetes care at the GP surgery but, as I wanted Byetta before it was more generally available, I was referred into the hospital intermediate service. This is held in a community clinic and is operated by a GP with special interest in diabetes. She is knowledgeable and fantastic and, so far, we have managed my diabetes in partnership. Interestingly, I still have to attend my own GP diabetes clinic every year - a small price to pay!

Regards

Doug
 
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