My NHS reforms, part two.

Here is an update on a previous post about my own NHS reforms.

I visited the Wellcome Collection’s exhibition ‘Dirt’, a tour of our relationship with dirt, illustrated by different places and times. One of the places was the 1938 Finsbury Health Centre, a modern and pioneering design which helped to advance healthcare in Britain. On show was a drawing by Tecton. It contrasted a run down, victorian waiting room and the words ‘Lack of confidence in everything!’ with an airy spacious clean lined entrance hall, who’s ‘glass bricks, clean surfaces and bright colours produce a cheerful effect’ and an ‘ air of efficiency gives confidence to the patients’.

I was interested in this as it seems to fit in with my ‘keep to the notice boards’ policy change.

>> RIBA image

A small change in behaviour can have big results. A study has shown that the words used by GP receptionists when booking appointments and positive messages in posters can dramatically reduce missed appointments and save a great deal of time and money. This is a very clever change – a  free ‘tweak’ to cut costs. (I wonder if this method could have been applied to other areas in the public sector to reduce the vast cuts.)

Here is a brief interview on the Today programme. with Professor Robert Caldini.