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Q Reducing failed to attend appointments

How under this new NHS contract are other members dealing with patients that FTA and what policies do their practices carry out to try & cut this down?

A

To reduce the number of failed appointments each day we suggest implementing one or more of these ideas provided for you by a number of NHS and private practice managers:

• Phone patients with appointments for the following day. The calls are best made away from your reception area for confidentiality reasons and early in the day working through one list at a time. It is often quicker to work through them without constant interruption. You can also out-source this procedure if you use a computerised software programme. Phoning also has the added benefit that if a patient is feeling ill, or can’t make it, your reminder call prompts them to cancel or reschedule within 24 hours so that you can then re use the surgery time. Although there is an increased cost involved in the telephone calls and the staffing time necessary, this does not equate to more than the cost of the wasted surgery time. The costs of employing an additional team member can often be saved by ensuring patients keep their appointments. Most patients are very grateful for the call, and some even come to rely on it, therefore you do need to be consistent in the service that you provide. Accurate record keeping is also essential for those who may not receive the call or collect their answer phone message.

• Some practices send a text message to patients’ mobile phones. There are companies who will text patients for you for quite a reasonable price. This is achieved by sending via e-mail, a list of patient contacts (day list) a week in advance and they send them out 24hours in advance. They also send you a report detailing which patients they have contacted and those they have been unable to reach. This gives you the opportunity to ask patients for their new telephone numbers (even if there is a notice at reception regarding change of details). The use of this company takes the responsibility off practice staff, especially if you have only one receptionist who is unable to leave his/her post. Just to give you some idea, the process of sending reminders out for five clinicians is about 5-10 minutes per week.

• If a patient prefers, you can email them.
  
  
• Asking patients to pay for treatment at their check up appointment is another way of not losing revenue and patients understand that this money may be lost if they fail to arrive

• Your NHS practice leaflet should clearly state that after two FTA's the patient will no longer be seen at the practice (unless exceptional circumstances or they could attend privately)