Patients stay in loop with text service
"This sort of service is becoming more popular. It was in a medical magazine and that's where we saw it and picked it up," he said.
Ringing the patient could be time consuming for Central Medical and the patient, while text messages had the advantage of being read when the patient had time.
"You don't always catch the right moment when you phone them and writing letters can also be a problem if people change address and sometimes don't receive reminders when we think they should or would," he said. "I think that mobile communication is the tool to use these days, and by using the text message system I think we have the best chance to get a hold of people."
From reception to the nurses and doctors - the whole Central Medical practice has access to the technology.
"We can all use it, it's just another tool to communicate with the patient," he said.
"That's what it's all about, we're going with the times."
Until recently, doctors and nurses had been using text messages for some recalls, but often from their own mobile phones.
The new system is all run through a computer database.
"I think it is something very positive - the new technology is in their (patients') favour," he said. "There has been a very positive response, we understand there will be some people who don't want to receive the texts so if people don't want to receive texts, they don't have to."
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