Outpatient Transformation

What is available to me?

What is it and what are the benefits?

Where can I learn more?

Patient Initiated Follow Up (PIFU)

Selected patients with long-term or short-term health conditions in a broad range of specialties

(as advised by the clinician)

Your appointments, your way.

Patient Initiated Follow up (PIFU) is a new way of arranging your hospital outpatient follow up appointments.

Through your PIFU plan you can arrange follow-up appointments with your hospital care team if you experience worsening of your symptoms related to the condition for which you were last treated. This puts you, the patient (or your caregiver), in control of your follow-up appointments and gives you access to support and guidance when you need it most. This means you:

• Have greater control: manage your follow up appointments based on your symptoms and concerns – you’re in control of your care
• Increased flexibility: You only come to the hospital when it is a benefit to you. You even have the option of virtual consultations
• Avoid unnecessary trips to hospital: having appointments when you feel you need them or having a virtual appointment saves time and travel costs, reduce anxiety and time away from work or other activities
• Timely access to care when you need it the most: access care when you experience worsening symptoms rather than waiting for a pre-scheduled appointment

If you are on a regular follow-up pathway as well as PIFU follow up but no longer need your planned PIFU follow up, please cancel the PIFU appointment and be assured you will still remain on your regular follow up pathway.

Patient Knows Best (PKB)

Patient Knows Best is a portal that is accessible via the NHS app. It puts you in control and at the centre of managing your own health record.

The PKB portal gives you access, ownership and the ability to share your heath record whenever and with whomever you choose.

Patients using the portal are currently able to view:

• Admit and discharge information

• Selected appointment information

• Electronic Discharge Notifications (EDN) 
• ED outcome letters

As we continue to develop the system, you will able to:

• see your appointments, medical letters, test results, care plans, allergies and record your medications

• book appointments, record observations in a journal and access resources created by you

• use secure messaging, shared care planning and symptom tracking in real-time

• access self-management tools to make it easier and safer to monitor or track your health condition so you can quickly get help and support when needed

Please be assured that even if you choose not to use PKB, you will still receive the care you need.

Click here for more information

Virtual appointments

The way we access outpatient services is changing. Virtual appointments support flexibility to our patients, limits the spread of infections and reduces the cost, stress and inconvenience of travelling to hospital.

It also means less pollution which helps us reduce our carbon emissions, creating a healthier environment which benefits us all.

We currently offer telephone appointments where applicable with video appointments being offered within selected specialties.

Please note: your clinician will assess whether this is suitable for you based on your condition, accessibility and individual circumstances. You will still get the care you need if you cannot access these types of appointments. 

Learn more about virtual appointments here

In various locations within the Outpatients department, you will have the ability to self-check-in on touch screen kiosks when you arrive for your appointment, (where available).

This means you will not need to wait for staff to become available, wait in a queue or need to explain the reason for your appointment within an open environment.

With this function you also have the ability to review your personal information and change it if your circumstances have changed (e.g. change of address, telephone number etc.). This will ensure information reaches you in a timely way.

We are working really hard to support easy ways in which you can cancel or change an appointment.

However, however there has still been 19,249 people so far this year who have not attended their appointment. This has led to longer waiting lists and longer wait times for patients who need care and treatment.

We are therefore urging patients to let us know as soon as possible when you are no longer able to attend an appointment or where appropriate, you wish to arrange a virtual consultation.