Hospital patients to book their own appointments

Trust officials hope the scheme will give greater flexibility to patients

An NHS trust has launched a scheme it hopes will give patients greater flexibility on when they attend outpatient hospital appointments.

Medway NHS Foundation Trust has introduced Patient Initiated Follow-up (PIFU) appointments which officials said could save patients money and time on sometimes unnecessary hospital visits.

Instead of having routine follow-up appointments scheduled by the trust, PIFU allows people to book an appointment when they need one, the Trust said.

Trust officials said the scheme creates scope for more appointments for patients “who need them most”, cuts the number of missed appointments and reduces waiting lists.

Trust chief executive Jayne Black said PIFU appointments “help empower patients to manage their own condition”.

She added: “Patients know themselves best and whether or not they need to see a clinician.

“PIFU gives clinically suitable patients and their carers, the flexibility to arrange their follow-up appointments as and when they need it based on their symptoms and individual circumstances. In turn it allows our clinicians to see patients most in need more quickly.”

PIFU appointments have been made available to the majority of the Trust’s outpatients’ services.

They are described as "completely optional" and patients can choose to continue having routine follow-up appointments if they prefer.

They are also only offered to patients where it is deemed appropriate for the individual.