Case Study: Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust achieves 38% outpatient DNA reduction and £322k savings in 6 months with Netcall

How to reduce DNAs by 38% in just 6 months

Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust was losing more than 30,000 appointments a year to DNAs (Did Not Attend), with rates around 6–7% that cost the trust more than £2.6 million annually and left consultants underused. To tackle this, the trust engaged Netcall and deployed its patient engagement tools, including Liberty Converse with ContactPortal™ and the Remind+ automated voice and SMS appointment reminder service.

Netcall implemented Remind+ (automated calls followed by texts two days before appointments) together with Liberty Converse, first in a pilot then trust-wide, which quickly cut Outpatient DNAs from 7.64% to 6.42% in two months and to 4.84% within months. The programme reduced outpatient DNAs by 38%, delivered £322,000 in savings in six months, met the trust’s annual saving target, and lowered the overall trust-wide DNA rate to 4.84%.

Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust

Patrick Harrington

Senior Implementation Specialist