Recent results from a Tower Hamlets PCT text messaging campaign have shown that text messaging contributes to improved attendance for Breast Screening in Tower Hamlets. The iPLATO supported campaigns that ran throughout last summer were implemented alongside a number of tools and techniques to improve the rate of screening, all designed to encourage women in Tower Hamlets PCT to attend their breast screening appointment. A list provided by the Central & East London Breast Screening Service (CELBSS) was uploaded by the 9 participating GP surgeries who then sent out appointment reminders to selected patients reminding them to attend their breast screening appointment with the CELBSS screening service. Similar campaigns are also now being run in PCTs elsewhere in London.
Breast screening is a high priority in Tower Hamlets. One in nine women will develop breast cancer at some point in their life and it is essential that attending a breast screening invitation is regarded as a high priority. According to Cancer Research UK, new figures have revealed that women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer following a routine screening appointment have the same lifespan as women who have never had the disease, highlighting the importance of women attending their breast screening appointment.
Maxine Khol, Practice Manager at Wapping Group Practice, said: "The iPLATO texting has been an excellent service to our patients; it helps very much with our non attendees, which then gives us the opportunity to offer more appointments. We also use the service for other clinics and recalls such as diabetic, blood pressure, flu clinics. We most certainly will be using this service for the foreseeable future."
The PCT has already started new Breast Screening appointment reminder campaigns that will be run over the coming year.
Kay Eilbert, Senior Public Health Strategist at Tower Hamlets PCT said, "iPLATO offers an easy, inexpensive way of reminding women about their breast screening appointments." She also added, "Text messaging could provide a key piece of the puzzle in our quest to improve screening coverage among hard to reach women."
Funded centrally by the PCT, the service has been adopted by over 95% of Tower Hamlets GP surgeries and will be used to address important Public Health concerns such as Smoking and Breast Screening.
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About Tower Hamlets PCT
Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust is made up of 1,250 nurses, midwives, therapists, doctors, support and public health staff, working with more than 158 GPs in 36 practices. We are improving health by:
About iPLATO
iPLATO is a privately owned limited company founded in London in the autumn of 1999. In 2003, iPLATO was awarded a SMART Feasibility Grant by the Department of Trade & Industry to study the feasibility for national implementation of a system to remind outpatients about scheduled appointments using text messaging technology.
Since completing the study, the company has invested substantial resources towards overcoming the barriers to entry of the healthcare market and now provides successful healthcare solutions to NHS organisations throughout the United Kingdom - building a promising business around its flagship service 'Patient Care Messaging'.
The European Venture Contest, organised by the European Commission, recognised iPLATO as one of the top ten early stage technology ventures ready to "reshape their industry and to conquer the global market" and featured on the Red Herring Europe Top 200 of companies to watch in 2006. iPLATO experienced extensive (PCT funded) roll out of Patient Care Messaging (for GP surgeries) across 12 Primary Care Trusts in 2008.