Category: 3.3. Electronic display systems
Norbury Health Centre, a practice of some 9,000 patients in south east London, found that its old method of calling patients for appointments put pressure on reception staff. They had to call out the names of patients in a busy waiting room. It also wasted valuable surgery minutes, as doctors often had to go looking for their patients.
Practice Manager Rasikal Shah said some patients would accuse reception staff of favouritism, because of the order in which they called patients, sometimes leading to arguments.
That changed in 1999, when the practice decided to install an electronic patient calling system. This was an LED screen, manufactured by Jayex Technology Ltd.
The screen links to all the practice’s computers and enables doctors to call in patients from their consulting room. The screen in the waiting room beeps, and the patient’s name and allocated consulting room appear on it.
Mr Shah says the system has been well received by patients and staff.
‘Calling patients directly saves a lot of time for the reception staff. This also gives doctors a bit of time to finish off paperwork or read through a patient’s notes in between consultations. They know the patient will turn up at their door and that they don’t need to go out and look for them,’ he says.
The system also gives the surgery a much more professional feel and avoids problems of patients not hearing their name being called.
Norbury also uses the LED screens to publicise health campaigns or alerts, which scroll across the bottom of the screen. All of the practice’s doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants and its midwife use the system.
Rasikal Shah, 020 8679 6591
