NHSmail national case studies Rebecca Snape NHSmail Project Manager

Automated SMS patient appointment reminder functionality Automation of the discharge summary process Migration and decommissioning of local mail transfer agents (MTAs) to the NHSmail service Three key cash and non cash- releasing NHSmail benefits

The NHSmail SMS service allows NHS organisations to utilise free SMS messaging to contact patients to remind them of an upcoming appointment One GP practice has seen a 50% reduction in £31 per GP appointment (11.7 minutes) which equates to £ per hour The practice has realised a benefit of 8 hours a month of GP appointments not missed = £1, non-cash releasing benefit per month (£15, per year) This SMS service is also used to proactively advise patients when vaccinations are available and to contact the GP Practice for an appointment Automated SMS patient appointment reminder functionality

In April 2010 the NHS contract introduced a new national standard: Acute Hospitals must send a discharge summary to a patient’s GP within 24 hours of the patient’s discharge One Trust calculated the cost avoidance figure in paying the late penalty as: 40% of discharge summaries arriving late = 0.01% of revenue totalling £32,000 a year, £160,000 over 5 years This process allowed a reduction of staff within the Discharge Summary Team (band 4 bank staff). This equated to an estimated savings of approximately £30,000 (1 ½ band 4 resource), £150,000 over 5 years Annual savings achieved as a result of no envelope, paper, postage, printer and labour (resource) costs in one Trust was £137,601 Automation of the discharge summary process

When a Trust migrates to NHSmail they no longer need local MTAs which should be decommissioned. Local funding for the system is released to reassign elsewhere in the Trust No double spend to the NHS by not paying for a local service and a centrally funded secure service Trusts can expect benefits in the following areas:  No future upgrade costs  No Exchange engineers required to maintain service  Reduction in local help desk agents  Decommissioning of local MTAs (no future maintenance costs) Estimated saving by one Trust of migrating to NHSmail instead of undertaking a local migration is a one off cost of £213,450 Migration and decommissioning of local MTAs to the NHSmail service

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