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The Department of Health has introduced a campaign to raise awareness of the issue of public outpatient appointments going unattended, encouraging Tasmanians to let clinics know if they are unable to make it.
The campaign focuses on the impact of the 55,000 missed medical appointments in the past year due to patient non-attendance, and urges Tasmanians to notify outpatient clinics in advance if they cannot attend.
The campaign references missed appointments for public outpatient services, including medical and surgical specialists, allied health practitioners and for diagnostic tests – and includes the tag line “If you can’t make it, someone else can take it.”.
When appointments are missed and outpatient clinics are not informed in advance, there is a significant impact on the health system because the appointment time cannot be offered to another patient.
Statewide Outpatient Services Nursing Director Jan Coull acknowledged there are a number of reasons why a patient may be unable to attend a scheduled appointment such as illness and other unplanned occurrences, but highlighted the importance of patients informing clinics in advance.
“The campaign aims to educate the public on the various measures in place, including appointment letters, confirmation calls, and SMS text reminders, to ensure patients are well-informed about their upcoming medical appointments,’’ Ms Coull said.
“We understand that there will be situations where a patient is unable to make it to their scheduled appointment, including if they are unwell with respiratory illnesses. We encourage people where possible to make contact in advance to let outpatient clinics know if they cannot attend.
“Despite ongoing efforts by our outpatient teams across the State to reduce unattended appointments through text message reminders and call confirmations, there remains a substantial number of patients not attending scheduled appointments.
“Cancelling appointments in advance not only offers opportunities for filling vacant slots but also contributes to efficient use of resources. When patients do not attend their scheduled appointment, the valuable time of specialist clinicians is lost, and the appointment time is unable to be offered to another patient.”
The campaign launched last month and includes advertising placements across radio, social media and buses.
The Outpatient Central Services team, located at Cambridge, plays a crucial role in the campaign's implementation, completing courtesy call confirmations, managing reschedules and cancellations, auditing wait lists, and processing e-Referrals. Despite these efforts, the campaign emphasises the need for patients to notify clinics about appointment changes promptly.
The campaign aligns with the Department of Health’s four-year strategy, Transforming Outpatient Services 2022-26, which aims to provide best practice and contemporary outpatient services within clinically appropriate time frames.