The second week in March has sadly not lived up to the promise of the first with cold, wet and dull weather taking the place of sunshine. Nevertheless spring is well on the way and with it our thoughts turn to the annual challenge of spring cleaning.

No-one knows where the tradition of spring cleaning started. The practice has been shown to have roots in several ancient cultures but it is almost tempting to speculate that even back in cave dwelling times, ancient people stepped out from the crevices in the rocks which had given them winter shelter, sniffed the fresh air of spring and started to clean.

But there is a darker side to spring cleaning. As we vacuum and scrub, mop dusty floors and persuade over-wintering spiders to leave the home, the emergency services are poised waiting for the call. Every year, casualty departments are called on to treat those of us who thought that balancing on a rickety chair or table would be a good idea when cleaning windows or reaching high ceilings. Others will have to call on the services of physiotherapists or osteopaths to help sort out sprains and strains caused by repetitive movements such as overenthusiastic dusting or polishing.

With health professionals such as physiotherapists being stretched by all of these seasonal injuries, it may be time for them to carry out a little spring cleaning of their own. When we start out in business we tend to adopt coping mechanisms, working through processes which may cost us in time but save cash flow. With more mature businesses it may be time to spring clean some of these practices, bringing processes up to date.

For example, in the early days with few clients it can be a simple matter either to hope that they will turn up for appointments or phone them with a reminder.  Growing businesses which try to continue this practice may well be spending time on client reminders which would be better spent on treating a growing client base.  And in truth, what business nowadays can afford to operate under a model which allows for gaps in appointment times when clients fail to turn up. Simple remedies such as SMS text reminders, the availability of online booking and switching phones in busy times can free up a significant amount of time.

SMS text reminders also help to cut down on no-shows, but it still leaves businesses open to the possibility of a reduction in income, should clients fail to turn up for their appointments. One practice which can help to alleviate this problem is the taking of credit or debit card details at the time the appointment is made. When clients turn up for their appointments the card payment can simply be confirmed, considerably smoothing out the invoice/administration process. However, should clients fail to attend appointments; a no-show fee can still be taken in accordance with the health practice’s publicised tariff.

As we are looking at spring cleaning for efficiency, ask yourself if it is really necessary to have all of those paper records cluttering up the office?  Electronic filing can not only help to clear away paperwork, with patient records available at the touch of a button it can also help to save time when clients come to call.  It doesn’t take much to spring clean business processes, but health professionals may find that taking a little time out to review the way the practice is set up now could make a measurable difference in the future