Patients arriving at Ealing Hospital’s A&E will be able to check themselves in using their mobile phones under a new system aimed at reducing queues at reception.
London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust (LNWH), which runs Ealing Hospital, is introducing the patient check-in service this winter after launching it at Northwick Park Hospital, which is also run by LNWH.
According to LNWH, more than 6,700 patients have used the system at Northwick Park, accounting for around two-thirds of walk-in patients.
Patients scan a QR code and answer questions on their phone, including an initial clinical triage which can help staff identify higher-risk patients sooner.
A&E consultant Chris Nordstrom said: “Patients traditionally queue at reception and provide front-of-desk staff with details about why they’ve come to A&E which is then manually entered into a PC. This whole process can often take an hour during peak times leaving patients frustrated and staff spending a huge amount of time on manual admin tasks.
“Patients can now scan a QR code using their own mobile phone as soon as they arrive. They are guided through a straightforward registration and initial triage process, with the information entered electronically into our hospital systems.
“This removes the need for many patients to queue at the reception desk and gives them a faster, smoother and more comfortable way to register.”
