A new system is being introduced to help the NHS know if local people still need their appointments and want to remain on a waiting list.
From Tuesday 09 July 2024, anyone who has been waiting more than 12 weeks for an appointment with Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust’s outpatient team will receive a text inviting them to confirm their wishes on the new Patient Hub.
Patients will be asked to confirm if they wish to remain on the waiting list; be removed as their condition has improved; or be removed as treated elsewhere.This data will then automatically update each speciality’s booking teams to help ensure that waiting lists are as up to date as possible, and in turn will also help achieve fewer missed appointments, meaning more people can be seen and treated, quicker.
The project is being overseen by Tony Ray, Patient Access Manager: “This service will support patients who are awaiting appointments within head and neck, surgery, ophthalmology, musculoskeletal and medicine, and we will gradually roll this out throughout 2024.“Many of us receive texts from our doctors or dentists reminding us of appointments, this is essentially the same thing so we hope that this new validation process will make things easier for our patients.
“If you have been waiting for more than 12 weeks for an appointment with our outpatient team, you will receive a text asking you if you still wish to be on the waiting list and directing you towards the Patient Hub hosted on our website to update your preferences – people can expect to be contacted every 12 weeks requesting this update.“You won’t have to do anything prior to us contacting you. We will set up the account for you and you will still be able to speak to the booking team as you have previously if you so wish.“
It is hoped that this new service will make things easier and quicker for people waiting for care and will also help us reduce the number of letters currently being sent out helping the environment and reducing our postage costs.”
People can access Patient Hub via your smartphone, tablet or computer.Torbay and South Devon appreciates that some people can be wary of receiving texts with links as these could be fraudulent. Their NHS services will never ask for bank details or payments of any kind, nor personal details.The only details you will ever be asked to provide is as follows:
You will receive a text
Click on the link in your text. Alternatively, you can visit the portal at https://www.torbayandsouthdevon.nhs.uk/patienthub.
On the login page, you will be asked to confirm your mobile number as well as your date of birth – please enter your date of birth as DD/MM/YYYY.
You will be sent a six-digit authentication code by text message / SMS.
Enter the code.
Access the system and update your waiting list preferences
If you have entered your code incorrectly or it has expired (if you enter it after two and a half minutes), you will need to request a new code.There’s no need to remember a username or password.
You will follow the process above each time with a new six-digit security code.
Further details on this new system can be found here on Torbay and South Devon’s website.
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