Hospital volunteers make friendly calls to patients ahead of appointments

A team of five enthusiastic volunteers is helping to remind patients of their important hospital appointments.The new volunteer-led appointment service at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Lynn is helping patients to feel confident in attending and answering any questions they may have.The members call patients a few days ahead of their scheduled appointment to remind them of their scans and check that they are planning to come along.

Every missed appointment not only means a patient is not having an important investigation, but it also costs NHS money and reduces efficiency because the equipment, room and clinicians’ time is wasted.The project started at the QEH in October, focusing on radiology appointments and ultrasound and DEXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) scans, which measure bone mineral density.Since the service began, the volunteers have called more than 1,500 patients. The QEH is hoping to recruit two more volunteers and add CT and MRI appointments to the call reminder service. Phillip Seaman, one of the volunteers supporting this service, said: “I get a lot of satisfaction making the calls and giving back to the community.“I really enjoyed talking to customers when I ran my business before I retired, but there was not always time to chat. “Now, as a volunteer, I have all the time in the world to talk to patients who are scared or anxious about their appointment or, in the case of some elderly people, who just want someone to talk to.”Jeff Chung, clinical operations lead and advanced practitioner in radiology at the hospital, said: “We believe a friendly voice at the end of the phone helps reassure the patient of any concerns they may have as well as reducing the likelihood of a missed appointment.“I am very proud of the success of the project and how it is helping patients to attend their important appointments. “Here at the QEH, the number of volunteers supporting this project has steadily grown.“Whilst this service is still in its infancy, volunteers making these calls are engaging with patients who have upcoming imaging appointments and confirming their anticipated attendance as well as supporting them with any queries that arise.“With the project looking to scale up, our focus will expand with the aim of ensuring that all patients who have appointments in the new Community Diagnostic Centre will get a call to confirm attendance and ask any questions patients may have.“These calls support better utilisation of resources and reduce wasted slots and promote a more equitable service for our patients who are waiting for an appointment.”