Call and Recall

Overview of the programme

'Call and recall' is a method we use to increase the participation of patients in different areas of their healthcare. We contact patients in south Southwark on behalf of their GP practice to invite them to have an NHS Health Check with a GP, access services to help better manage their health (e.g. lifestyle interventions for those with pre-diabetes), participate in surveys and direct them to clinics for certain health conditions such as latent tuberculosis (latent TB) or Hepatitis C.

What have we done so far?

We have delivered call and recall programmes in a number of areas which are described below:

Children and Young People's Health – Partnership (CYPHP)

CYPHP is working in Southwark and Lambeth to develop a cross-organisational, system-wide, transformative, and academically rigorous approach to improving child health services. Their model of care is designed to deliver significantly better healthcare outcomes, and better value for children and young people.

IHL has supported CYPHP to reinvigorate a project aimed to contact families across south Southwark who have children with asthma, eczema and constipation to invite them to take part in a survey. IHL worked in collaboration with CYPHP and our GP practices to create lists from EMIS of children with the relevant conditions. We launched an SMS text and mail campaign inviting families to take part in the CYPHP survey.

The initial response to the pilot successfully generated a 12% response rate and the methods and learning was shared  across Lambeth.

National Diabetes Prevention Programme (DPP) & Walking Away from Diabetes (WAFD)

IHL is supporting this program by identifying south Southwark patients who are pre-diabetic and facilitating the sending of information about services they can access – this is being done on a monthly basis throughout the year.

Southwark CCG is the lead organisation for the national programme in south London.

IHL is supporting this program by identifying south Southwark patients who are pre-diabetic to be contacted on a monthly schedule throughout the year.

Self Management UK

Self Management UK is a charity that provides educational courses aimed at helping patients with long term health conditions to better understand and manage their condition. 

IHL is supporting our GP member practices by identifying patients with long term conditions who would benefit from the courses being offered, whether they be generic or condition specific, contacting them with an SMS text and a letter detailing the benefits of the program, the location and date of the next course starting locally to them, and how they can book a place.

For more information visit the Self-Management UK website.

NHS Health Checks

IHL offer this recall service on behalf of our GP member practices, sending regularly scheduled text messages to eligible patients directing them to their registered GP.

The NHS Health Check is a free health check-up helping to prevent the onset of diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, stroke and certain types of dementia.

Patients can also complete a short version of the health check at the Southwark Digital NHS Health Check website.

Latent Tuberculosis (TB)

IHL are conducting a recall to screen patients South Southwark identified by UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) who may be at risk of having Latent Tuberculosis (i.e. the TB is sleeping).

Patients identified will be contacted with a letter and a text message inviting them to have this simple blood test.

Further information about latent TB and the differences between active and latent TB can be found by visiting The Truth About TB

Who is at risk?

UKHSA recommends that anyone who fits the below criteria should be tested:

• Aged 16-35 years
• Has settled in the UK in the last 5 years
• Has lived in a country where TB is common (list of countries at end of letter), or
• Has visited one of these countries in the last 6 months

Patients may have had a test for active TB before, but could still be at risk of having latent TB.

How can patients have this blood test?

Please note: Blood tests need to be before 11:00am.

Patients identified will be sent a letter with a blood test form included. This can be taken to one of the following local hospital clinics (no appointment is required):

What will happen to blood test results?

Blood test results will be returned to the patients' registered GP surgery, who will make contact to arrange treatment if it is needed.

UKHSA is collecting information from all latent TB blood tests across the country to help them understand more about latent TB and to protect everyone’s health.

Having this test will not affect patients’ status in the UK. The results of this test will not be shared outside of the NHS and will only be used for health care purposes.

Hepatitis C

From September 2019 IHL will be contacting patients who may have a past diagnosis of hepatitis C that has not yet been treated, or where there is no documentation of successful treatment by a specialist team, offering new and easy to take tablet treatments that can cure this condition in almost everyone. Patients receive an SMS text and a letter detailing the steps to access this treatment.

Public Health England, NHS England and The Hepatitis C Trust are supporting a national initiative to contact directly people who have had a past diagnosis of hepatitis C to offer this treatment.

Information about the Hep-C condition is available on the NHS website as well as by visiting the Hep-C Trust website.