Pagers Are a Prescription for Happier Patients at Frimley Hospital

Survey feedback from patients is 100% positive; pharmacy manager praises CST’s MediCall system: “simply a really useful tool”

A busy outpatients’ clinic at Frimley Park Hospital, Camberley in Surrey, means the Pharmacy processes up to 200 prescriptions a day. “We target a maximum 20-minute turnaround for our customers, but this is a long time, especially in a relatively small waiting area. Our waiting room only has seating for about 20 people; if we have any more waiting, some have to stand while they wait for their prescriptions, which is clearly far from ideal,” says Sue Horne, Dispensary Manager.

To alleviate the problem, the Pharmacy Department invested in a MediCall™ pager system from Call Systems Technology (CST). Now, when patients hand in their prescriptions they receive a pager, so they are free to leave and go where they choose, maybe for a coffee, a walk or into the hospital grounds, whilst their prescriptions are prepared. When they are ready, a staff member activates the patients’ pagers so that they alert them to return to collect their prescriptions.  They give back the pager as they do so.

“We conduct regular surveys on ‘customer satisfaction’.  Since we’ve had the pagers for a few years we decided that one of our questions would be to see if our patients find them useful. The feedback from this survey has been 100% positive,” says Sue Horne.

An important benefit of the system is that it is very easy to operate. “We have 20 pagers that ‘sit’ in a charging rack. Staff members pull one out, demonstrate it to the patient and hand it over. To request a patient to return takes one press on the hash button with the pager’s number on the transmitter station’s keypad. Patients simply return and give back their pagers. A staff member then replaces them in the charging rack. It couldn’t be simpler!”

The main motivation behind this implementation was improving the ‘customer experience’. One of the issues for the pharmacy is that very often it is the end of the line. The patient may already have had a long wait for the original consultation in out-patients, they may then need blood tests or X-rays too.

“By the time they arrive at the Pharmacy, they really don’t want to be hanging around anymore,” says Sue Horne. “The pagers allow patients to leave the department, attend other areas for treatment, or simply to relax while they wait for their prescriptions.”

Is there an issue of patients losing pagers or of them not getting returned?

“We’ve had no problems at all. We began with 20 pagers and that’s how many we have now.  They get quite a hammering, too, as they’re in use from 9.00am till about 7.15pm every day.

“The MediCall system is simply a really useful tool – so much so, that I’ve recommended it to other outpatient departments in the hospital.

“It just keeps patients happier.”

The photo accompanying this release shows pharmacy supervisor, Maureen Tucker, handing a pager to a patient, Andy Mitchener. 

For details, Freephone Call Systems Technology on 0800 389 5642 or call 020 8381 1338, email the company at sales@call-systems.com or visit the CST website www.call-systems.com