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PKB can support trusts' elective recovery plans for Waiting List Validation (WLV) with our understanding that WLV is about capturing more and better data about patients waiting on lists. PKB questionnaire functionality gives trusts, the ability to technically validate the patients on waiting lists, checking patients still need to be on the list and check they are fit for surgery.
Mid-Yorks are using PKB to contact patients to see that patients need the operation via the PKB questionnaire feature.
PKB can support trusts trying to reduce the deterioration of those on waiting lists, better prepare patients for interactions, and confirm who still needs the referral, focusing on identifying any inaccuracies, such as patients who have moved out of the area, duplicated records, or patients already on a treatment pathway.
The trust team can remove any patient no longer needed on the list, thereby ensuring the waiting list is accurate and up to date and allowing other patients waiting to be treated quicker by utilising appointment slots in the trust and surrounding hospitals.
PKB validates regularly patients on waiting lists, checking if they still need to be on the list, who can travel to other surrounding hospitals for their appointment and who is available at short notice if there are DNAs.
Current Problems
Long waiting list
No process to discuss any changes to patients condition
Unknown deterioration resulting in emergency admissions
Patients feeling lost and ringing for updates
Resulting in more money and time being wasted
Bad patients and clinical teams experience
Patients not always fit for surgery
No education or support for patients
Paper and phone-based approaches are not fit for purpose
PKB solutions
Contacting patients to see if they still need the op, via an automated questionnaire
APIs to trigger sending and extracting back to PAS/EPR/Dashboard
Questionnaires issued at various times/points of a patient’s pathway (confirming they still need an appointment)
Remove people who can be removed
Collect data to determine if someone's position on the list has changed (i.e. have they deteriorated)
Personalised patient care plans with information resources and trackers for patients to monitor symptoms and measurements whilst they wait
Patient and professional team-based messaging to flag changes in symptoms or status whilst patients wait
Library of resources for condition-specific information or generic resources for well-being and health management
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Ability to collect better data about who is best to offer the last min cancellations
Collect data about who is willing to travel to other locations so they can be seen quickly
Give trusts the ability to contact their waiting patients more often, improving patient experience as they know they haven't forgotten and don't need to chase
Use cases
Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust
Recently completed a trial implementing tailored Waiting List Validation Questionnaires being sent to patients via PKB across 14 clinical specialities. With patient response rates of 50-80%, they achieved an immediate 6% reduction in the waiting list and an estimated £14,000 saving in clinical costs if the patients who were discharged had missed appointments. With proven positive impact, this is now being expanded across more specialities, integrating automation for more effective pathway management.
94% asked to remain on the waiting list
48% of patient responses were via PKB
386 completed within 2 hours
Speed and also the ability to change the questionnaire
Longer-term waiting list management, giving patients information at every stage
Example Questionnaire
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University Hospitals of North Midlands
Part As part of a nationwide programme. , UHNM are using is using PKB APIs to trigger the sending of questionnaires to gather patients, gathering BMI stats from patients awaiting surgery. They use this data to make decisions on decide whether their surgery is still OK okay to proceed, or whether patients need to be put on a weight management programme or delay their surgery.
Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust
Completed a trial phase across 14 clinical specialities with a Waiting List validation Questionnaire being sent to patients via PKB. Phase 2 is to start in the near future when patients are automatically added to teams within PKB and then questionnaires are sent for more effective pathways management. This is being expanded to more specialities.
Key features
There are key PKB features all services validating waiting lists can use to capture data. A list of them is below.
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Patients can initiate a questionnaire by clicking start questionnaire Start Questionnaire on their homepage or directly within the NHS App. Once completed the questionnaire can be sent to a professional or team.
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Scoring and calculations
Branching, allowing patients to complete the parts of the questionnaire that are relevant to them
Coded fields, questionnaires can be mapped to clinical codes
Patients can save drafts
Send questionnaires to patients that who aren’t registered or already in your team
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Quality of life questionnaires
Per operative questionnaire
Pain questionnaire
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Patients have access to message their healthcare team (saving time on the phone)
The Admin team can triage messages. Either resolving or passing onto another speciality team
Universal Messaging is the ability for patients to message clinical and non-clinical teams
Team-based messaging allows teams to automatically receive secure messages and consultations as a group rather than as individuals
Library
A wealth of Waiting well resources
Online patient leaflets
Support group information
Videos
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Appointment letters and appointments sent to PKB via integration
Manually entered appointments
Workflow
Validate the Trusts Waiting list in line with NHSE.
Patients will be added to the team (set periods) and sent a Questionnaire asking if they are still wanting their appointment. Once the response is collected by the Trust they can Validate their waiting list and either discharge the patient from the PKB team or keep the patient in this team, sending a waiting list validation Questionnaire as needed and in line with NHS E NHSE guidelines. For those patients not registered in PKB, the Trust will send a digital letter to the patient's PKB record or SMS to encourage them to register for PKB and complete the waiting QA.
SMART Goal
Reduce the number of missed appointments (DNA) for the rheumatology team by Sept 2023 (12 months post team go live) from (current missed appointments) to ( %) by sending all appointment letters and appointment details into PKB instead of by post. Current missed appointment rates are (%). 12 months post go live, the team compared missed appointment rates of patients with and without a PKB record. It is a local NHS priority to reduce missed appointments to save money.
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