Diagnostics non-attendees in Cheshire and Merseyside Hospitals
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Healthwatch Cheshire East and Healthwatch Cheshire West wanted to gain a better understanding why patients were not attending their scheduled diagnostics appointments in Cheshire and Merseyside. Research took place at two hospitals - Aintree University Hospital, part of Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Leighton Hospital, part of Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust with a view that this could be extended to encompass more Trusts if required. They spoke to 130 people.
When contacting the people who were listed as not attending, some said they had attended their appointment and others said that they had called to cancel in advance.
The meetings held with the Diagnostics Project Team and representatives from Aintree’s diagnostics department highlighted gaps in IT systems and internal processes which were causing inaccuracies in reporting.
Fear and anxiety was a consistent theme from both those who attended their appointment and those who didn’t.
Those who’d had a procedure were less impacted by fear and anxiety. Some stated they found the procedure uncomfortable, but fears were reduced.
For those who were having the procedure for the first time, the fear of the unknown, being influenced by other’s experiences or making negative assumptions impacted their experience or likelihood to attend.
From those who did not attend their appointment without informing the hospital, it was apparent during conversation that some had additional physical or mental health issues.
This was sometimes accompanied by wider challenges such as financial or transport issues. In depth conversations highlighted the complexity of some people’s lives, making attendance more difficult.
There was a difference in mindset between some of those who attended their appointment versus those who hadn’t.
Most of those of attended their appointment had a drive to find out what was wrong with them, had persistent symptoms or were following advice from the doctor.
The majority of who didn’t attend had a different mindset, were either fearful or felt the procedure wasn’t as important due to less significant symptoms or other health issues.