Patients now have more choice and flexibility when booking, cancelling or rearranging their outpatient appointments thanks to a new system that has been introduced at Sherwood Forest Hospitals.

The new call centre, based at King’s Mill Hospital, makes the booking process easier and more convenient for patients. Complementing the Trust’s text reminder service, it is hoped the service will help to further reduce waiting times, the number of appointments that are cancelled and Did Not Attends (DNAs).

Patients will receive a letter through the post inviting them to telephone the call centre to arrange a mutually convenient date and time. This will reduce the chance that the appointment could be cancelled or forgotten.

Elaine Torr, Divisional General Manager for Diagnostics and Outpatients at the Trust, said the improvement is all about patient-centred care: “The system is very beneficial to patients and will also help us to become more productive and efficient by maximising our capacity.

“Every year thousands of appointments are wasted when patients fail to attend. Missed appointments delay an individual’s treatment and increase waiting times for all other patients.”

The new booking system been implemented across most of the Trust’s outpatient clinics. Only a handful of specialties, including audiology, physiotherapy, lymphoedema and oncology will be excluded from the new service – patients in these specialties tend not to DNA.

Elaine Torr added: “This service enhancement will ensure appointments are made at the right time based on clinical advice, resulting in patients receiving the attention and care they need, when they need it.”

The call centre’s contact number is (01623) 672383. Opening hours are Monday to Friday from 8am to 8pm and Saturdays from 8am to 1pm.