Around 88% of people looking to
book GP appointments in the West Leicestershire area say they no longer plan to
visit after seeing self-management materials produced by specialists in health
education films, The Sound Doctor.
The patient survey data shows that after viewing
materials 88.65% of respondents reduced their GP visits. In addition, patients
reported that appointments which were booked but they didn’t turn up to, also
fell by 80%.
This could have a huge impact on funding for
health services as each GP appointment costs £23.50 (based on NHS tariffs) per
patient. A GP appointment where the patient does not attend costs £36.
Rosie Runciman, co-founder of The Sound Doctor,
said, “We are delighted to be working with West Leicestershire CCG for the
fourth year running. Their commitment to the self management agenda is very
impressive and they are ideal partners to work with to ensure that patients
really benefit from the information we provide. With around 300 films covering
COPD, diabetes, dementia, back pain, weight management surgery and heart
failure, there is an unparalleled library of practical advice and information
ranging from exercises you can do in your sitting room to gadgets you can use
around the home to an in depth understanding of your condition and how it
progresses.”
The overall aim of the team behind The Sound
Doctor is to enhance the quality of life of patients with long-term conditions
by giving them a better understanding and easy access to the best possible
advice.
Adam, a 67-year-old with diabetes, believes the
knowledge he has gained from The Sound Doctor materials has been invaluable.
“Good information is crucial. I have really appreciated the clarification I got
from the films about salts and fats and I’ve also really come to understand the
importance that weight plays in diabetes,” he said.
Kevin, 58, is also from West Leicestershire and
has diabetes. “I think The Sound Doctor is a really good resource which I keep
going back to. I was very dubious about other online information as I didn’t
know where it had come from.”
Clinicians have shown an equally strong interest
in The Sound Doctor.
Dr Darren Jackson is a GP with responsibility
for overseeing the long-term conditions workstream across Leicester,
Leicestershire and Rutland. He said, “I welcome the opportunity to be more
involved in the commissioning of local health services to try and help improve
the quality of care to the local population within the confines of limited NHS
budgets.”
He added, “I’m struck by the effectiveness of
the contribution The Sound Doctor’s team make. It is a very popular resource
for us and for our patients and provides an effective way of providing
information to large numbers of people at low cost. I look forward to
continuing to work in partnership with them.”
The Sound Doctor is the UK’s leading provider of film and audio content about health conditions. Created for patients, and used by a number of CCGs and Hospital Trusts around the country, its content is unmatched in quality, range and production values.
View a
selection of The Sound Doctor’s videos on their YouTube
channel.
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