ABSTRACT
An administrative innovation for booking outpatient appointments has been introduced in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, variously known as ‘patient-focussed booking’ (PFB) and ‘partial booking’. It has three distinct features: patients must confirm their wish to have an appointment; patients are given a choice of date, time and place for the appointment; and the appointment is booked only a short time in advance of the due date. Previous studies have shown a reduction in missed booked appointments, either because the patient could not attend (CNA) or did not attend (DNA). Our results, covering a more recent period, confirm these findings, and show they can be sustained for longer periods. The requirement that patients must confirm their wish to have an appointment can lead to some referrals not ending up as booked appointments. Some may choose to withdraw; others simply did not reply, ‘non-responders’. Either way, those that do not are referred back to their GP. This study finds non-response was much less common that previous studies. However, it was common enough to offset the effect of PFB on missed booked appointments due to CNA and DNA. To that extent, the innovation did not make much change to civic disengagement, except for providers who are now better able to plan clinics.
