Huddersfield Royal Infirmary hospital brings in text alerts over appointments

HOSPITAL bosses have come up with a new way of cutting time-wasting missed appointments.

Patients of the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust can now choose to receive a text message to remind them of their hospital outpatient appointment.

The new scheme to use text messaging is being trialled in the Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) and Neurology departments.

It is part of a drive to reduce the number of patients who do not attend appointments.

In 2009, 43,735 patients failed to attend hospital appointments.

The service reminds patients of both the Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and Calderdale Royal Hospital, a few days in advance of appointments.

On receipt of the message, patients are encouraged to respond if they are unable to attend, by calling the number in the text.

Lesley Hill, the Trust’s director of service development, said: “The system is a useful way of reminding people about their appointment.

“We would ask all patients who cannot attend their appointment to let us know, so that we can offer their appointment to someone else.”