A new initiative by NHS Scotland has been launched across Lanarkshire which will ensure our patient waiting lists are up to date and that patients still require to remain on the waiting list.
The national service is being delivered by NHS Scotland’s National Elective Co-ordination Unit (NECU) in partnership with the digital solutions provider, DrDoctor.
The service is being rolled out across participating Boards in a phased way and the waiting lists being checked will vary from Board to Board.
In NHS Lanarkshire the NECU team will initially be validating the following lists:
- Public Dental Service
- new routine Ultrasound scans
- new routine MRI scans
Patient across Lanarkshire on one of these lists should be aware they may receive a text message from the NECU over the coming days and weeks.
Anne Burgon, Service Manager, National Elective Coordination Unit (NECU), said: “By undertaking this initiative it will support NHS Lanarkshire to allow patients to comment on their needs when requesting to stay or be removed from the waiting list and improve communication and engagement with patients. It will also reduce administrative validation of waiting lists from 6 weeks to just 10 days; reduce the number of phone calls needed to validate waiting lists; reduce printing and postage costs associated with sending letters.
“This service is allowing NECU to engage with a large cohort of patients simultaneously to ascertain if they still require an appointment. In turn, this also largely improves regular communication with patients.
“Patients will receive a text message from the NHS Scotland National Elective Coordination Unit (NECU) on the mobile number 07860 039092.
“This will include a link to a short survey asking if you still need your appointment or operation, followed by a few questions to confirm their identity. People who are answering the survey on behalf of someone else must provide the patient’s details at this stage.”
The National Elective Coordination Unit (NECU) is part of NHS Golden Jubilee’s national Centre for Sustainable Delivery, established by the Scottish Government to support national waiting times recovery.
It supports local NHS Boards to ensure that information held on NHS Scotland waiting lists is accurate and helping us to reallocate any appointments that are no longer needed to others on the waiting list.
For more information visit the dedicated National Elective Coordination Unit page on the Centre for Sustainable Delivery website.
