The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust (DGFT) has implemented the Healthcare Communications Patient Portal across its 148 outpatient departments in acute and community settings.
The deployment began in March, since when it has despatched 80,000 SMS messages to patients.
The portal also make makes it possible to deliver digital appointment letters directly patients and gives the latter the ability to book, change or cancel appointments.
All departments can send letters using a standardised NHS template. Prior to the roll out, DGFT identified significant inconsistencies in patient letters, leading to concerns that some were unsure about the legitimacy of messages they received.
Neill Crump, the trust’s digital strategy director, said: “With the roll out of the patient portal, we’re already seeing improved engagement and participation, as well as countless benefits relating to ease of use for staff, time saved and reduced DNAs.”
