Communication

Communication with patients

We have a responsibility to ensure patients are provided with clear and accurate information to enable them to make considered decisions in relation to their treatment time guarantee. Additionally it is recognised that additional needs must be taken into account when communicating with patients.

We must ensure that patients are appropriately informed at all stages of the patient journey.

All patients should be telephoned to confirm an outpatient appointment or admission date/time, agreeable to them. The patient should then be sent a confirmation letter, which must be clear and informative and should include a point of contact/telephone number to call if they have any queries. The letter should clearly explain the consequences if the patient cancels or fails to attend the appointment at the designated time.

All correspondence with patients will explain how to change appointments and the impact of a cancellation or DNA (did not attend). Administrative processes will ensure that it is clear to patients who they should contact to enable them to change their appointments and agree an alternative date.

Patients should be given clear instructions on how and when to contact the hospital to either accept or decline an appointment or admission date, and the timeframe in which to do this.

Patients should be given clear and accurate information in writing about how their waiting time is calculated, including when clock adjustments are made and how these affect their treatment time clock.

We will apply the eight principles of effective Patient Focussed Booking when engaging with patients to promote attendance and offer choice to patients.

The 8 principles are:

1. Clear communication with patients from the outset, outlining their responsibility for their appointment including booking, attending and advising of any changes to their availability. This should take place at the point of referral and within any booking dialogue between the patient and service.
2. A referral process which facilitates the transfer of information about the patient’s needs and availability to attend.
3. All staff involved in booking and appointing working to standard operating procedures to ensure equity in appointing patients.
4. Booking processes must facilitate timely engagement and offer a single, reliable point of contact for patients.
5. Booking processes must offer patients real choice through active dialogue including dates and times of available appointments.
6. Patients must be reminded of their appointment close to the date of agreed attendance.
7. The process must ensure that patients are seen in turn.
8. The process must ensure ongoing review and validation of the waiting list.

Patients will be responsible for:

• Informing via the hospital contact number if their condition improves and their appointment is no longer required.
• Contacting the hospital timeously if they are unable to attend their agreed appointment.
• Providing details of mobile phone and email address to improve future patient communication options.
• Contacting the hospital to advise of any changes to name, address, postcode, telephone number or GP.
• Considering the choice options that are available to them. 

Communication with Referrers

We plan all allocated outpatient, inpatient, diagnostic and surgical space at the GJNH. This is done in partnership with the Access Support Team at the Scottish Government and all referring Health Boards across Scotland. The team also agree with our NHS colleagues the specific specialties and the number of referrals that should be sent to us on an annual basis.

We record all referral and patient related information in line with the 18 Week Referral to Treatment (RTT) guidance and the Treatment Time Guarantee (TTG) as set out in the Patients Rights (Scotland) Act 2011. This information is communicated to all Boards as follows:

• In an agreed format.
• Within agreed timescales.
• To specific referring Boards’ contacts.

Access Policy