How SMS Messaging is Helping the NHS to Save Thousands
It has become a well-known fact that the number of missed appointments is at an all time high across the NHS, especially when it comes to GP’s and outpatient clinics. The cost of these no-shows has a huge impact on the vital services that the NHS provides, for both the organisation and its patients. In recent years various trusts have used SMS messaging to remind clients of their appointments – and have saved the NHS thousands of pounds already.
The true cost of a missed appointment
Given the huge range of specialities within the NHS and the number of different types of consultations, assessments and treatments that are conducted on a daily basis, it is hard to put a precise figure on the true cost of a missed appointment. Recent research conducted by a team at Warwick Business School (WBS) recently put the average figure at £160. With nearly 10% of appointments missed in 2014-15 alone – that’s a staggering 5.6 million – the annual cost is reported by the National Audit Office to be £225 million. In the challenging economic and demographic situation of today, reducing this is an issue of top priority.
In addition to the financial impact, it is also important to consider that every missed appointment is also a lost opportunity to somebody else to be seen, denying some the chance to receive vital treatment.
Positive early results
One NHS trust that tested the effect of SMS reminders fairly early on was the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Prior to the trial they conducted, their outpatient clinics had seen a non-attendance rate of around 1 in 10 patients. This was costing the trust in the region of £2.2 million a year in staffing costs alone.
With the introduction of an SMS messaging trial across three specialities, they saw a significant reduction of 4% in missed appointments within the first three months.
As well as reducing the number of no-shows and the associated costs, the trust also found that adopting an SMS reminder system shortened waiting lists and improved patients’ experiences.
Getting the most out of SMS messaging
With research indicating that the most common cause of missed appointments is simply a failure to remember them, it quickly became obvious that SMS reminders are an important weapon in the NHS’s arsenal – especially given the incredibly low costs associated. A large number of NHS trusts have now introduced SMS reminders as standard and seen encouraging results.
One thing that the research undertaken by WBS did identify, however, was that making small changes to the text messages that were sent could make them even more effective and increase their potential to both save money and improve patient welfare.
Ivo Vlaev, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick, believes that the key to unlocking the real value of SMS messaging lies in behavioural psychology – understanding human behaviour and making changes to the way things are done to take this into account.
Room for improvement
The NHS now sends a many as 5 million text message reminders to patients every month. Despite this, figures for non-attendance still remain far too high. Trials conducted by Vlaev and his colleagues from Imperial College London, the Department of Health and the ‘Nudge Unit’ ( the UK Government’s Behavioural Insights Team), did reveal, however, just how the content of a text message can reduce non-attendance for hospital appointments.
Whilst a simple text message giving the details of the appointment – time, day and hour – had good results, adding information about the cost of missed appointments saw a further reduction in missed appointments of 25% in comparison. The implications of this are dramatic, with the potential to prevent a further 400,000 no-shows per year simply by amending the information contained within SMS messages.
One observation worth noting is that the NHS is currently estimated to hold mobile phone numbers for just 20% of patients – despite Ofcom reporting that 93% of the UK’s adult population personally own or use a mobile phone.
Implications for the private sector
When it comes to healthcare and related services in the private sector, there are typically provisions to charge patients for failing to attend an appointment without prior notice. Despite this, there are still lessons that can be learned from the NHS experience.
With the application of the same behavioural psychology that Professor Vlaev and his colleagues pointed at, customer relations could be significantly improved. With reputation being of such importance in the private sector, any action that contributes to an improved patient experience is likely to be well worth the investment – especially when this may be as simple as a few carefully chosen words.
At fastsms, we have a team of experts who are always ready to help you make the most of SMS messaging for your organisation. Whatever your sector, we are happy to connect you with a specialist in your particular field.
To find out how your business could benefit from our low-cost bulk SMS messaging platform, call us now on 0800 954 5305 or click here to access a range of resource including guides for various sectors as well as case studies and other useful information.
Related Articles
Using SMS Messaging to Take Customer Communication to Another Level
When people talk about SMS marketing they usually refer to the one-way message with coupon codes for a sale. Or potentially a two-way message requiring the customer to respond with a keyword in order to get a deal. And that is customer communication for sure. It’s also marketing. But it’s just the very basics of what SMS messaging can do for your business.
6 Ways Gyms Are Using SMS Marketing
Marketing for gyms and leisure centres is unlike marketing within many other industries. It's not enough to simply gain a customer and expect to keep them indefinitely. It's important to make every attempt to keep that customer dedicated and interested in achieving their fitness goals to avoid lapsed memberships and cancellations. It's in every gym's best interest to have a loyal customer base that feels supported and encouraged to attend the gym regularly. Failure to do so can result in members who feel it is a waste of money to pay for a membership that they don't use often enough. That's where SMS marketing can make a big difference.
How to Use SMS for Patient Engagement and Better Healthcare
There is something of a revolution occurring in the UK, and worldwide, where healthcare is concerned. Gone are the days of patients idly sitting and waiting for doctors to dole out advice. With 93% of the population holding a tool in their hands, anybody can use a mobile phone to access a wealth of information, just at our fingertips. SMS can maintain that feeling of instant information without causing the confusion, panic and misunderstanding so often associated with self-diagnosis.
The Rise of Responsive 24-Hour Healthcare and SMS Messaging
Every organisation needs to streamline its operations, reduce waste and operate on “lean” principles; from global pharmaceutical companies to local GP surgeries. SMS provides superb value for money in the way it reaches and engages stakeholders. Messages go straight into the hands of the right person in an unmissable way. Backed by an SMS provider in the UK familiar with public and private healthcare, systems can be created to use text messages to save money and time.
Help Patients Stay Healthy with SMS Reminders to Take Their Prescriptions
Last year, over 1 billion prescription items were dispensed in England. There were, on average, 19 prescription items per person in England, almost half the population is taking prescription medications. It's safe to assume some people are finding it hard to keep track, enter SMS.
How Sports Clubs and Fitness Centres are Using SMS Marketing to Their Advantage
Statistics show that a huge 98% of text messages are opened within the first fifteen minutes of being received, so it's little wonder that sports organisations and fitness centres have been looking to take advantage of a potentially lucrative market.
5 Reasons to use SMS for Transactional Messaging
People rely on their mobiles for everything these days. They check them up to 200 times a day! Any business that communicates with customers can take advantage of that by using SMS messaging for transactional information. Read on to see the top 5 reasons why.
SMS Marketing: Four Sectors Successfully Using Text Messaging
SMS marketing has seen a huge uplift in popularity in recent years, with big brands investing in the technology to better engage with their customers. There are so many benefits of SMS marketing, from the ability to directly to reach customers with your communications, to the fact that over 80% of SMS texts are read. With over approximately 90% of the world receiving mobile coverage, you’re highly likely to be able to reach your audience, regardless of where they are. SMS marketing is cost effective, and campaigns are quick to develop, in as short a time period as the time it takes to write a text message. This gives you the advantage of being able to communicate quickly, and effectively with customers, reacting to information almost instantaneously. With so many reasons to use SMS marketing, we’ve highlighted four sectors successfully using SMS messaging as case studies to highlight the advantages of investing in the technology.
How SMS Marketing Can Revolutionise Your Beauty Business
There are many benefits of using SMS marketing for businesses within the health and beauty industry. From instantly connecting with customers to booking appointments and increasing sales, the opportunities for the health and beauty sector are huge when it comes to business text messaging. Due to the fast-paced nature of appointment booking within the industry, and the increasing competition, SMS marketing could be the key to separate you from your competition.
8 Ways Veterinary Practices Can Use SMS Within Their Business
Although SMS services are usually associated with retail marketing campaigns, you can also use these communication tools across many other industries. SMS text messaging can be used to provide a perfect veterinary patient/clinic communication tool, and because of this it is becoming increasingly popular within the specialist animal care sector.