Tackling our waiting lists: We need to hear from you

We are calling patients as part our work to tackle the large waiting lists caused by the pandemic.

Over the last two years, many non-emergency operations and procedures across the NHS had to be cancelled or postponed because of Covid-19. We are working hard to prioritise its lists and will now be contacting patients waiting for appointments at the Royal Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch hospitals via phone call to obtain further details.

A number of text messages and letters have already been sent out as part of the campaign, with calls now going to patients who have yet to respond.

If you receive a call or letter, please respond so we can help you with your care. We would like to assure you that:

• our communication will only ever ask questions relating to your care
• we will never ask for bank details or reference to money or payment
• we will never ask you for your name or address, however you will be able to update your details if they are not correct
• for security reasons, we’ll ask you to confirm your date of birth

Dr Ruth Williamson, consultant radiologist and deputy chief medical officer, said: “We appreciate some of you have been waiting a long time for treatment and we’re trying our best to catch up from the treatment that was delayed during Covid. If you hear from us via phone, letter or text message, please do respond as we’re trying to arrange your healthcare as soon as we can."