/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24016885/STK093_Google_04.jpg)
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24808816/Starfield__The_Settled_Systems___Supra_Et_Ultra_____Starfield__The_Settled_Systems___Supra_Et_Ultra_2023_7_25_94252.263_1440p_streamshot.png)
The University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL) has signed an innovation partnership agreement with Accurex, a software company that aligns healthcare communications around each patient.
Like all NHS trusts, the UHL aims to reduce its elective backlog and address long waiting lists for patients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, UHL experienced an 85% increase in its waiting list, meaning it has one of the toughest recovery trajectories of any large acute trust.
UHL is reaching this through an innovation partnership with Accurex, whose intuitive software is designed to administratively and clinically validate waiting lists across multiple services in trust, as well as reduce unnecessary appointments and DNA is being used.
This partnership sees Accurex and UHL working together to design solutions and manufacture products to meet UHL’s alternative recovery needs. UHL and Accux meet monthly with clinical, technical and operational representatives from UHL to review progress against objectives, ensure technical alignment, identify and manage clinical risk, and consider new ideas.
Accux also provides training and implementation support to teams at UHL to enable successful adoption of the products.
In November 2022, UHL and Accux set a target of removing 10,000 patients from the waiting list by March 2023. In just eight weeks into the partnership, this goal was accomplished. Today, 17,000 patients have been moved, demonstrating UHL’s commitment to using innovative technology to tackle their backlog.
Reduction in unnecessary follow up appointments through PIFU
Excessive 3,800 patients who still require treatment have been selected to be transferred to the Patient-Initiated Follow-up (PIFU) pathway.
A digital, triage-first approach to PIFU is helping services manage their PIFU patients digitally, with 1,000 patients being added to the digital PIFU pathway across three services, eliminating unnecessary referrals for patients in active treatment Will help reduce waiting lists by reducing follow-up appointments. ,
SMS appointment reminder services are helping to reduce do not attend (DNA) rates, many of which exceed 10%. Time-intensive face-to-face appointments are being replaced with a simple SMS where appropriate to communicate the results of a routine scan or test. One service that has piloted this is saving clinician time of around three hours per clinic.
Siobhan Favier, deputy chief operating officer at UHL, said: ,This partnership with Accux demonstrates the impact that technology that enables better communication with patients can have on the alternative backlog.
“In just a few months, we’ve seen significant results and we’re already starting to explore new areas where SMS messaging can benefit our trust even more, such as reducing our DNA rates for clinic appointments. “
Dr Satya Raghuvanshi, Head of Clinical at Accux, said: ,At Accux, we have always believed that user needs should be at the center of the solutions we develop. With this innovation partnership, we have the opportunity to be at the forefront of providing care and use our software, so we can learn from them and understand the challenges and opportunities.
“This means we are building software that not only meets, but exceeds their expectations, and therefore has the power to ultimately improve patient experience and outcomes.”
