SOLUTION FOUND FOR 20 MILLION MISSED APPOINTMENTS

Premiere Global Services (formerly Xpedite) has launched a solution that promises to be the answer to the growing problem of missed healthcare appointments that currently costs the NHS over £500million every year.

Ten million GP appointments, four million practice nurse appointments and seven million outpatient appointments are missed annually at a cost of approximately £65 per appointment.  30 per cent of these missed meetings are down to patients simply forgetting, which is why Premiere Global Services has created a simple but effective reminder service.

The user, such as a GP’s reception, dental practice or hospital department, records a voice message (like recording a voicemail greeting) or creates an SMS message and Appointment Reminder instantly distributes it to patients at an appropriate time prior to their appointment, providing a phone number to call if they are unable to attend. 

The service provides a quick and simple way to get a message to hundreds, or thousands of recipients at a fraction of the cost of sending postal reminders and in a far more timely fashion. Additionally, reports are automatically produced confirming delivery and the time the message was left.

According to a survey by Developing Patient Partnerships (DPP), 64 per cent of GPs believe that reminding patients will help to reduce the number of missed appointments and save the NHS money and 80 per cent would welcome software in their surgeries to help remind patients about upcoming appointments. 

Premiere Global Services’ UK General Manager, Simon Bushell, commented: “Missed appointments has been an issue for the NHS for some time now, not only wasting millions of pounds but also exacerbating the problem of lengthy waiting lists.  Appointment Reminder is a highly effective, timely and low cost way to reduce both of these problems and improve overall care in our hospitals and GP surgeries.”  

Additional information can be found at www.premiereglobal.co.uk or contact our local office in the United Kingdom on +44 (0)20 7444 0700.

(21/7/05)