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| Hinchingbrooke finds extra way
of reducing waiting for outpatients |
"Patients really appreciate not being tied to the waiting room"
Call-Systems Technology (CST) recently installed the MediCall patient paging system at Hinchingbrooke Hospital, near Huntingdon. The system was chosen by the hospital's Ophthalmology Department to manage delays for outpatients on day visits. It allows patients to visit other areas of the hospital, such as the restaurant, the shop or the chapel, while they wait for the results of tests, further tests or to fill in time when consultants' appointments overrun.
The inspiration for the installation came from an unlikely quarter, according to Trish Caruana, the Department's Outpatients Modern Matron.
"One of my colleagues visited a busy modern restaurant", says Trish. "It was a busy time, she didn't have a table booked, and there were none available at that moment. Instead of turning her away or making her queue at the barrier, the waiter handed her a special pager and suggested she go to the nearby bar until a table was available. She was still in the queue, although she was in the bar. The pager alerted me when our table was ready"
The pager was part of a system from CST, customised for a restaurant environment. But the parallels with waiting for outpatients were obvious to Trish. "So when the new Ophthalmology Department opened this year, this system made obvious sense and we contacted CST", she says.
In fact, CST had already seen the possibilities in managing hospital appointments. The company had created MediCall, a modification of the restaurant paging system, optimised for the hospital environment. It includes three alerts - bleeping, a flashing light and vibration. The system meets two common disability issues with paging in a hospital environment - sight and hearing.
And this is especially important for the ophthalmology department, one of England's leading centres of eye surgery. "In many cases patients can be nearly blind, or at least temporarily visually impaired, and some won't have good hearing either. The three-way alerts ensure that they can be much more aware of when the consultant is ready for them, without getting bored with the waiting room."
At the appropriate time, with the touch of a button staff can send a message to the pager, which instantly and discreetly alerts the patient to return.
The Department can have as many as 60 appointments a day, with up to half using the system and finding it extremely useful, Trish adds. "The range is good - it reaches everywhere it needs to in the hospital. And patients really appreciate being able to wander, and not being tied to the waiting room."
The MediCall system is easy to use, with little staff training required, and it doesn't need much capital investment to get it up and running. The pagers are large enough so that patients won't forget them in their pocket, but small enough to be discreet. They are tough, durable and reliable, little maintenance is required and running costs are negligible.
Since MediCall is a wireless system, installation is fast, easy and unobtrusive and its UHF technology ensures effective coverage without effecting medical equipment. And - especially important for a healthcare trust - it is very competitively priced.
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Call-Systems Technology Ltd, Middlesex House, 29-45 High Street, Edgware, Middlesex HA8 7UU |
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