Patients can get appointment reminders easily as of August 15, when a new confirmation service launches.
The system at St Peter’s and Ashford Hospitals will use automated telephone calls to patients, who will be asked to follow recorded instructions to confirm who they are, before getting appointment details.
The patient can then press a button to confirm, cancel or rearrange the appointment.
Access manager at the trust, Hannah Donoghue, said: “Every year, thousands of appointments are wasted in hospital when patients fail to attend. “Often it’s just because they forget to come, or something else comes along and they forget to make the cancellation. “We want to be able to offer a flexible service that makes things easier for both our patients and our staff and we hope that by providing this new reminder service, we can help patients who have forgotten as well as make it easier for those who want to cancel or rearrange their appointment.”
St Peter’s patients who want to opt out of the service should call 01932 723831.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here