"Really very good. Always my preferred choice of..."

What I liked

Just wanted to say that I visited the Aural Care Clinic today for the first time today. From the moment I walked through the door, it was a really good experience: friendly, courteous, timely ... and all those other adjectives that go to indicate great team working and a well-designed clinic structure.

The clinical experience with the nurse practitioner was great too. Plenty of time to convey what I understood was the reason for my visit and a clear and steady explanation as the treatment progressed. Micro-suction is a wondrous experience - quite like corn being popped, so I kept that in mind as my nurse practitioner persevered with extricating what had impacted on my eardrum!

Congratulations!

What could be improved

It would have been quite nice to leave with my next clinic appointment in four months' time, though this does n't really detract from the experience. Clinic reception was not especially busy, though I can understand from an administrative perspective, it may be preferable to complete this task at another time of the day.

Anything else?

Just an idea: my hairdresser (!) has an automated SMS facility to remind clients of their appointments. Similarly, my dentist leaves me a phone message. I feel sure that this encourages attendance, and therefore monitoring and management, which is particularly important when it comes to oral hygiene.

Coupled with issuing f/up appointments at the time the patient is leaving the treating department, I wonder if postage/paper could be a real saving for the Trust, though I recognise that the SMS facility would have a cost, albeit less obvious.