Choose-book site chooses Matthew

MATTHEW HADFIELD, national leader on electronic booking

AN Oldham medic whose work with an electronic booking system has helped to cut waiting times for patients has been featured on a national NHS website.

Matthew Hadfield, clinical director for general surgery at the Royal Oldham Hospital, is among 12 case studies on the Choose and Book website.

He tells of his use of a hospital appointment booking system which for the first time combines electronic reservations with a choice of hospital, date and time for first outpatient appointments.

The technique has suffered teething problems, and is not yet perfect, but it brings a radical change from the age-old paper referral system.

It allows patients to choose their first hospital appointment, and book it on the spot either with their GP at the surgery, on the phone or via the internet, at a time which is convenient for them.

Mr Hadfield, who is a vascular surgeon, was the first consultant in Oldham to use the system, in 2005.

Since then, Pennine Acute Trust, which runs the hospital, has become one of the leading users of Choose and Book in England.

It regularly refers the highest volume of patients through the system, and was last year used to make 79,000 appointments across its four hospitals.

Mr Hadfield described the new system as simple and easy to use with little or no paperwork to do. He said the swap had cut the length of time it takes to process referrals from 25 days to around five.

“That means patients know sooner what is happening to them, as do the GPs referring them,” said Mr Hadfield.

“One of the main advantages is that things can be done live. If there is a piece of information missing, or I would like to see a scan, I can just pick up the phone or e-mail someone and they can send it through immediately.

“This has increased consultant and GP communication no end.”