title: Outpatient clinics. Down the line.
abstract: A hospital with a 157-week wait for orthopaedic outpatient appointments has introduced a telephone booking system which has reduced waiting by 53 weeks. The system, introduced with a 23,000 Pounds grant from the local health group, has cut non-attendance from 17 to 5 per cent and is estimated to have saved the orthopaedics department 216,000 Pounds. Two part-time clerical workers staff the initiative. Telephone booking is now being rolled out to include outpatient clinics of other specialties and orthopaedic day case lists.
authors.affiliation: Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lloyd
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dillon
authors.forename: Kartik
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hariharan
mesh_terms: D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D006779:Hospitals, Public / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013222:State Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration; D013689:Telephone; D006113:United Kingdom; D014850:Waiting Lists