Almost 5,000 'no shows' to hospital appointments in Portlaoise last year
HSE figures show 732 people have failed to turn up for appointments so far this year
There were almost 5,000 ‘no shows’ to hospital outpatient appointments at the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise last year, according to the HSE.
Figures released to Leinster Express/ Laois Live show 4,861 patients failed to attend new and review hospital appointments in Portlaoise in 2023 while 732 have failed to show for appointments so far this year.
A spokesperson for the hospital said: "Patients are encouraged to attend their healthcare appointments and if they are unable to attend, to contact the hospital to reschedule at the earliest opportunity. This will enable the hospital to allocate the appointment to another patient and ensure that access to a service is maximised. With the ongoing challenges of providing access to care for patients in a timely manner, optimising capacity is a key focus, including managing the number of missed appointments. Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise provides patients with information regarding their appointment and issues text reminders to patients for all outpatient appointments."
The spokesperson added that guidance is available to the management of outpatient services regarding patients who do not attend.
"The protocol also sets out the process for hospitals to follow to remove patients from waiting lists if they do not attend an appointment. When a patient who is identified on their record as urgent or with high clinical or social needs DNAs an appointment, their record is reviewed by a clinician to determine if it is appropriate to remove the patient from the outpatient waiting list, or if a further appointment should be issued," added the spokesperson.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly recently published a new paper on how the number of Did not attends (DNAs) for outpatient hospital appointments can be reduced by 13% using behaviourally informed SMS (text) reminders.
He said DNAs could be reduced by over 60,000 annually freeing up resources valued at €12 million which could be used to provide more care for patients each year.
Commenting on the publication, Minister Donnelly said: “DNAs can lead to the inefficient use of staff time, worse care for patients, and increased waiting times for patients. There were nearly half a million (481,432) DNAs for outpatient appointments in 2022. It is important to reduce DNA rates.
“By reducing the DNA rate for outpatient hospital appointments, it is possible to increase the number of appointments delivered within available resources. This not only increases hospital productivity, but it is also better for patients.
“The paper identifies the best performing SMS reminder, which based on findings from behavioural science makes it easier to remember the appointment by creating a stronger association with the appointment.
“Widespread adoption of the recommended SMS templates as part of national practice will substantially reduce non-attendance and improve hospital productivity.”