Case study: Sussex MSK Partnership East

Transforming patient pathways and improving patient experience with appointment reminders and patient messaging

Sussex MSK Partnership East began working with Accurx in 2023 to improve patient experience and, ultimately, patient outcomes. Our communication tools have enabled them to transform patient pathways by improving the way the service communicates with patients.

Impact at a glance:

38% reduction in DNA rate

Greater ability to gather patient feedback

238% increase in patients accessing website resources

Bringing patient communication into the 21st century

When Sussex MSK Partnership East started working with Accurx, the service already had an SMS reminder system. However, it was very unreliable and hard to customise, and it wasn’t helping the team improve attendance. The team were keen to bring their patient communication into the 21st century - both to improve the efficiency of the service and to better meet patient expectations. 

Accurx enables us to send bespoke confirmations, reminders, resources, and on-the-spot or bulk communications to patients effortlessly. This approach keeps patients better informed and empowers them in their interactions with the service.

David, Patient Engagement and Transition Lead

Using Accurx, the service started to...

remind patients about upcoming appointments with automated reminders
collect patient feedback using FFT and PREMs questionnaires
signpost patients to information and resources using message templates

Sussex MSK Partnership East chose to use Accurx to transform patient communication. The benefits of this decision are still felt today.

Since the service started working with Accurx in February 2023, Sussex MSK Partnership East has managed to:
  • Reduce their DNA rate by 38% by reminding patients about upcoming appointments.
Messages, which include the date, time and location of the appointment, were automatically sent to patients one week and one working day before their appointment. Patients were also able to cancel their appointment if they could no longer make it.
DNA rates reduced across all clinics where Accurx appointment reminders were introduced. On average, this is saving the service 38 non-attended appointments a month, better utilising over £27,000 of resources per annum.
  • Better understand their patients’ experiences by gathering crucial feedback
Automated post-appointment messages were utilised to ensure that patients were routinely asked to complete the Friends and Family Test (FFT). Batch messaging was also used to ask recently discharged patients to complete a Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) questionnaire with ease.
The service now receives more than 560 FFT and more than 90 PREMs responses per month.
  • Increase ease of access to useful information and resources to patients using patient messaging templates.
Over 60 patient message templates were created to make it quick and easy for the team at Sussex MSK Partnership East to share important information with patients so that they knew what to expect and signpost them to useful resources.
Since the service started using these patient message templates, they have seen a 238% increase in the number of patients visiting their website to access resources, resulting in lower volumes of phone calls from patients and a greater confidence in patients arriving adequately prepared for their appointment.

We have seen a significant reduction in non-attendance, as well as better quality feedback than ever before. And, it’s all packaged within Accurx’s user-friendly modern suite, making it a good experience for users, too.

David, Patient Engagement and Transition Lead