Nxt Manchester — Nov./Dec. 2008 - (Page 29)

News Cash Strapped NHS Turns to Interactive Mobile Messaging As each NHS Trust has a patient treatment quota to meet, any shortfall means that forward budgets will be cut. DNAs also lead to other patients having to wait longer than necessary for treatment. hit its 18-week patient treatment targets. MARS has been developed by communication company Island Communications in conjunction with the NHS, and is delivered to NHS organisations via a C&W’s Catalist Specialist Solutions framework contract. The C&W MARS service uses the highly secure SMS messaging services of text aggregator Mediaburst to deliver the reminders. Cable&Wireless also provides Trusts with Island Communications’ opt-in tool to help collect patient names and mobile numbers. The data is transmitted through a secure on-line system to hospital administrators who then update the hospital or trust PAS (Patient Administration System). The MARS two-way messaging service is secure and simple In order to cut the to use. The service mented it including: cost of patient DNAs University Hospital sends a text mes(Did Not Attends) sage reminder to the Birmingham NHS appointments, NHS mobiles of patients Foundation Trust and Trusts across the coun- Hull, East Yorkshire ahead of an appointtry are beginning to ment. On receipt, NHS Trust and NHS embrace a two-way Trusts in the Midlands. patients are able to SMS text messaging note the reminder service that reminds and can reply back A missed outpatient patients of their hospi- appointment costs with a “yes” or “no” tal outpatient appoint- each Trust £100. This response. ments. It will also adds up to more than allow them to reply A returned “no” half a billion pounds with a confirmation response allows hoseach year. or to advise that they pital administrators to The problem is worse arrange an alternative won’t be attending. in London and totals appointment. They more than £134 It’s called MARS also have the opportumillion. NHS Scot(Managed Appointnity to reduce waiting land lost more than ment Reminder Serlists by filling cancelled £30 million last year vice) and a multitude treatment slots and of places have imple- because of DNAs. help the government NEWS ©iStockphoto.com/DSGpro http://www.mediaburst.com/files/news/NHSLondon.jpg http://www.mediaburst.com/files/news/NHSLondon.jpg http://www.c63iStockphoto.com/DSGpro

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Nxt Manchester — Nov./Dec. 2008

Nxt Manchester – Nov./Dec. 2008 Contents Editor's Notes Nxt Challenge Scott Hider BNW: Angels Den BNW: Pink Ladies BNW: EEF BNW: CarbonZero BNW: Dennis Turner Nxtbook Stateside Nxtbook Europe MP Arlene McCarthy Career Profiles In The Spotlight Avoiding Business Fraud News Nxt News Events Listings (Nov./Dec.) Do the Nxt Challenge

Nxt Manchester — Nov./Dec. 2008

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