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The power of sport

It may be the top sportsmen and women who hit the headlines but the power of sport to engage and enthuse at all levels never ceases to amaze. From rumbustious back street kick-abouts to photos in the Guardian recently of Brazilian children practicing overhead kicks on a flooded pitch; sport can be a unifying and defining activity.

One thing is certain, with Wimbledon and the World Cup around the corner, our streets and parks will soon be filled with enthusiastic sports players all dreaming that one day they will be able to emulate Murray or Messi, Nadal or Neymar. But, played at any level, sport can come at a price.

That price is the chance of injury. You may be a top flight sportsperson, used to training every day and carefully balancing nutrients to optimise body health and fitness. You may be a weekend player, turning out for the local team before heading off for a drink; or you may be an occasional player, turning out with short bursts of enthusiasm before retreating to more sedentary forms of support. Whatever level you play at, the odds are that injury will hit at some stage. And when injury hits, the quicker it is treated the better.

For health professionals such as physiotherapists, chiropractors, sports injury practitioners and osteopaths, the challenge is to be on hand to treat regular clients, whilst at the same time squeezing in more immediate cases. No-one wants to leave diary slots vacant but equally no-one wants to turn down prospective patients. The answer is to take every opportunity to ensure that prospective clients can make and attend appointments.

Online booking will capture some clients but others may prefer to speak to a person at the end of a phone. Switching phones to a virtual assistant will help to ensure that when the phone rings, someone will answer without the need to interrupt ongoing treatments to answer the phone. In fact, using a virtual assistant service has multiple benefits including improving the image of the health practice, establishing a dialogue with clients and freeing up treatment time which would otherwise be spent in answering or returning telephone calls.

Once the appointment has been made it is important both for the patient and the health practice to ensure that treatment starts in the timescale agreed. No-shows not only delay the start of important treatments, they leave empty gaps in health practitioners’ diaries which could have been filled by other patients.

Encouraging clients to keep the appointments which they have made is a two-fold process. Appointment reminders sent out via SMS text or e-mail have been shown both in the NHS and private practice to reduce the number of no-shows. Similarly, confirming bookings with a pre-authorised debit or credit card sum also serves to improve attendance rates, generally because this means that the health practice can take a non-attendance fee in accordance with advertised practice.

World cups, tournaments, championships; the sporting calendar rolls ever onwards and with every passing phase brings a new crop of injuries. Making sure that they are on hand to provide prompt treatment will earn health professionals their own niche in the sporting hall of fame.

Mustn’t Grumble

In a survey to mark Dementia Awareness Week (18-24 May) the Alzheimer’s Society revealed that 54% of people had waited for six months or more before seeking professional help for signs of dementia. The time delay appears to be fairly similar in respect of all health conditions with a separate YouGov poll reporting that 57% of adults who had had a health problem in the past year had put off asking for help.

Reasons given for the delay include a reluctance to make a fuss (47%), the fear of having a serious health problem (23%) and embarrassment (22%). Delays in reporting in particular relate to dementia, heart and digestive problems.

Commenting on the survey, Alzheimer’s Society Chief Executive, Jeremy Hughes acknowledged the difficulty which people have when confronting diseases such as dementia but went on to say that “the sooner you know what you are dealing with, the sooner you can feel in control again and get on with your life.” But the delay factor doesn’t just affect those with potentially serious illness. For every patient who seems to live in the surgery, another will hold off reporting even persistent complaints.

This can lead to minor strains or injuries being exacerbated up to the point at which they become debilitating. When patients do finally pick up the phone, if they don’t receive an instant answer, they may drop the idea of further help. This means that prompt telephone answering is not just vital for health professionals such as doctors and dentists; other professionals such as chiropractors, podiatrists and physiotherapists all have a responsibility to ensure phones are answered as swiftly as possible.

For smaller practices this isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Curtailing a treatment to answer the phone is not only unprofessional, it can in some cases result in further damage occurring. And whilst some patients may be prepared to leave their details on an answerphone, many will be reluctant to do so. This is particularly the case when someone has delayed asking for help; the unanswered call acting as a trigger to retreat away from the decision to seek help and back towards trying to manage the condition without outside intervention.

The solution is to link up with a virtual receptionist service. Virtual receptionists can answer the phone and make appointments on behalf of the health practice, leaving the practitioner free to concentrate on what they do best, helping people to recover from illness or injury. Not only does this help to ensure that treatment plans are carried out smoothly and without interruption, it can also free up vital time which can be used in treating additional patients.

One in three people over the age of 65 will develop dementia and it’s a fair bet that almost 100% of people within the same age bracket will develop strains, foot problems or other similar treatable problems at some time or other. Taking steps now to help them to contact a health professional easily and swiftly may just help to prolong their overall health in times to come.

Back to basics

A global research study has concluded that lower back pain is the leading cause of disability and work absence across much of the globe. Researchers from institutions in Australia, the US and the UK including the Royal Cornwall Hospital found that whilst there is no evidence linking back pain with a higher risk of early death, it can cause long term disability.

Across the world the study estimates that nearly 1 in 10 suffer from lower back pain with the figure rising to 15% in Europe. An increasingly aging population is only going to exacerbate the issue which can cause emotional and financial as well as health problems for sufferers.

Although lower back pain has no one common trigger point, typically causes include poor posture when sitting or standing, bending awkwardly or failing to follow lifting guidelines. Acute back pain can also cause leg pain which adds to the difficulty of moving and walking. In its extreme form it can also impact on everyday tasks such as washing or dressing.

With the incidence of lower back pain expected to increase alongside an ever-aging population this condition places a strain on all health professionals. Whilst doctors and health visitors are more likely to be in the front line, others such as physiotherapists, osteopaths and chiropractors will all take up the burden of day to day treatment. Maximising patient time and minimising administrative burdens will therefore form an essential part of the way forward in treating this debilitating condition.

For the health professional this will require a switch to “always on” technology which will help patients to book appointments and stay in touch without taking up clinical time. This includes taking steps to ensure phones are covered by internal or external support staff, appointment booking online and automatic appointment reminders. These simple steps can make a huge difference both to treatment times and to ease the strain on overworked health professionals.

In its review of the study, the NHS Choices website concludes that it may be a cliché to say that doctors don’t understand the back but it acknowledges that lower back pain is a “poorly understood condition.” The site therefore calls for further research into the ways in which back pain can better be prevented and managed. Pending the outcome of such research it will fall on health professionals to take steps to manage their back pain management in the most effective way possible.

A ‘Wellcome’ cure

The Wellcome Library has opened up its archives of historical memorabilia for general use. According to the library the collection encompasses ‘manuscripts, paintings, etchings, early photography and advertisements’ and amounts to some 100,000 images.

Releasing the images under the Creative Commons Attribution Licence means that they can be used free of charge by anyone for personal or commercial purposes, provided that the image is accompanied by an acknowledgement as to source. So whether you are treating your patients for gout or for sprained limbs, for persistent pain or for an aching tooth there may well be a suitable image which you can use to amuse or to inform your patients.

In opening up the archive the Head of the Wellcome Library, Simon Chaplin, said “Together the collection amounts to a dizzying visual record of centuries of human culture, and our attempts to understand our bodies, minds and health through art and observation. As a strong supporter of open access, we want to make sure these images can be used and enjoyed by anyone without restriction.” The earliest image in the collection is a fragment of an Egyptian herbal, inscribed on papyrus. From that early beginning the collection encompasses medieval manuscripts, Victorian cartoons and some early photographs exploring the movement of the human body.

Providing effective patient treatments can be challenging at times and those working in the health profession know that keeping the tone light and adding touches of humour can help to alleviate patient anxiety. Access to an archive such as this can help to make the difference; although whether some of the images such as the Gilray cartoons portraying gout sufferers drinking port will teach us anything is a matter for debate.

But to be truly effective light heartedness needs to be tempered with professionalism and this is not always easy to achieve in a busy health practice. Answering the phone, finding or filing patient notes, sending out invoices and other administration tasks can all disrupt patient treatments. Outsourcing some of this work to a virtual assistant service can help to smooth over the working day and maximise time taken on treating patients. Virtual Assistant services can be taken on a permanent or ‘as required’ basis. This means that health practitioners can concentrate on what they do best, treating and reassuring patients, whilst being reassured themselves that behind the scenes day to day administration tasks such as phone answering, appointment reminders and invoicing are not being neglected.

Time to ski

With Bonfire night safely out of the way it is time to turn our thoughts ahead to the winter ski season. Whilst some forecasters have predicted a harsh winter ahead for the UK in 2013, the Met Office recently took pains to stress that it is still too soon to produce an accurate forecast and accused those who are predicting “the worst winter in decades” of crystal ball gazing.

Whatever the outcome, UK winters are still too unpredictable to guarantee good snow leaving ski enthusiasts having to look elsewhere to get their skiing fix. This means that the annual exodus to the European slopes and further afield is about to get underway.

The first week in November has already brought a good snow covering to some alpine resorts, resulting in predictions of an early start to the season and no repeat of last year’s green slopes. Hopefully the weather conditions will bring good safe skiing but whilst the majority will return safely from their adventures, there will be some who suffer on the slopes and need attention on their return.

It’s not surprising therefore that whilst eager skiers travel outwards, back in the UK physiotherapists and other health professionals are bracing themselves for a busy winter. Broken limbs, strains and pulls are an inevitable consequence of skiing accidents. Add in those whose year-round sedentary lifestyle has not prepared them for the physicality of skiing and chiropractors, osteopaths, and physiotherapists alike are an unforeseen consequence of a winter holiday on the slopes. And if winter in the UK does turn out to be harsh then there will be an additional crop of home-grown injuries to treat.

Hopefully some individuals will have thought ahead, consulting health professionals for pre-ski exercise regimes which will prepare them for a holiday on the slopes. And hopefully some people (particularly the elderly or frail) will have prepared for icy conditions at home, stocking up on essential supplies or arranging for additional support perhaps from a neighbour or health professional. But many won’t be prepared and even if they are, it is impossible to guard against accidents. All this means additional demands on the services of health professions who in turn will need to gear up their timetable to run as smoothly as possible. This includes taking steps to ensure that the time given to treatments is maximised.

All this means that health professionals need to gear up their timetable to run as smoothly as possible. Missed appointments not only means a lack of income but also another patient who will not be speedily treated. Having to interrupt treatments to take phone calls means that treatment may not be as effective as it should be. And if calls are missed then patients suffer and diaries are not as full as they should be.

The answer is to bring in the services of a virtual assistant. With calls answered, diaries can be maintained as full as practicable without patent treatments suffering. Add in an appointment reminder service and no-shows are reduced again helping diaries to be maintained at an optimum level. Skiing can be fun, but when something goes wrong, a speedy return to fitness with quick and professional help is the best way to prepare for the next season on the slopes.

Telephone triage

A survey of 1,195 GPs, practice managers and nurses by Campden Health has revealed that the use of telephone triage is gaining in popularity. 56% of practice managers polled revealed that some form of triage is used with 9% of practices triaging all of their patient calls.

Surprisingly those who practice triage reported a wide range of success with some reporting as much as 60% of patient problems being solved without the need to see a doctor whilst other practices only reported a 1% success rate. However 95% of respondents rated triage as either moderately or extremely successful so it is understandable why the practice is spreading across the NHS.

One drawback uncovered by the survey was the fact that in 13% of cases untrained receptionists were being used to conduct the triage and overall 48% had not received any telephone triage training. Nevertheless with surveys showing that doctors daily see 6-10 patients who have no medical needs, if triage can eliminate these unnecessary appointments it will free up valuable treatment time for those who are in need of care as well as more speedily directing patients to more appropriate resources such as social services or other health professionals.

When it comes to other health services, using the services of a trained receptionist to take calls and make appointments can also make a difference to the working day. Virtual receptionist services which use friendly and well trained staff can help healthcare professionals to provide the best level of service which they can to their patients. With no ringing telephone to interrupt treatments and a friendly receptionist taking care of appointment booking, message taking and appointment reminders, the health professional can carry out the task which they were trained for rather than become bogged down in administration.

Better still, a virtual assistant can help to keep the appointment book filled. Appointment reminders have been shown to increase attendance rates and in the event of a cancellation the receptionist will be on hand to take calls which could potentially fill the vacant slot. And with a trained virtual assistant the professional image of the health practice will be maintained.

Divide and conquer

A hospital in Derbyshire has been reaping the benefits of a new cleaning rota. Using an idea gleaned from overseas, the Royal Derby Hospital split its cleaning workforce into teams, each responsible for specific areas such as corridors or toilets. Previously a single cleaner had been responsible for an entire ward or area of the hospital.

The new system of team cleaning by area has lead to a reduction in cross-infections, traditionally a pre-cursor of the need to close wards for deep cleaning. In fact this new working pattern has been so successful that the hospital has been put forward for two Nursing times awards including the Golden Service award.

Hospital bosses have also found that by using teams rather than a succession of individuals, cleaning patterns are more flexible. This in turn has reduced the incidence of wasted cleaning processes, such as cleaning a patient area just before a patient is due to be discharged as well as ensuring teams are on hand in case an emergency clean is required.

The story is a perfect example of the way in which those at the forefront of health provision are finding ways to work smarter rather than harder. For example many health providers are looking to make savings by replacing follow up appointments with telephone calls or using the phone to make routine check-ups on those with ongoing problems.

It has to be acknowledged that telephone coaching is not universally successful if used in isolation as a study by UK researchers revealed earlier in August. They concluded that telephone coaching of those with long term conditions is not effective unless it is carried out as part of an integrated system of care.

Health professionals too are using this “divide and conquer” principle to maximise patient treatment time and minimise disruptions. Simply by outsourcing their phone answering to a virtual assistant service, health professionals can ensure that their phones will be answered, appointments made and reminders sent out whilst the health professional can concentrate on treating their patients. With no need to interrupt a treatment to answer the phone and no missed calls, professionals such as osteopaths, chiropractors and others can provide a more streamlined and efficient service to their patients.

The Olympic legacy – one year on

On 21^st July sporting stars joined 15,000 runners to commemorate the anniversary of London 2012. With 2,500 adults and children racing round a family friendly 1.5 mile track, the remainder of the runners tackled a 5 mile course which wound around the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

The National Lottery anniversary run was started by Sir Chris Hoy whilst athletes such as Victoria Pendleton and Paula Radcliffe joined the mass runners cheered on by family and friends. Finishing on the Olympic athletics track itself every runner who completed the course created their own special memory to treasure and add to the host of positive memories of the Olympic and Paralympic games.

The run is not the only way in which the games are being remembered. As part of the legacy programme sports clubs across the UK have offered and continue to offer special taster days and extra coaching to tempt people to take up or return to sport. The ongoing success of these programmes can be seen with increased numbers of cyclists on our roads and a heightened level of competition enjoyed at many sporting events.

But the legacy is not just about competition and the true legacy can be seen in those who are enjoying sport as a means of keeping fit. Inevitably this results in an increase of sporting injuries as old joints and muscles are coaxed into working that little bit harder and those who once gaily set off on a run without any preparation discover the importance of stretching.

For physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths and other health practitioners the sporting revival therefore carries the potential for an increased caseload. But in order to benefit from this legacy potential, health practitioners may have to optimise their working time. One option available is for activities such as diary management, client notes management and appointment reminder calls to be outsourced to a virtual assistant service. With phones diverted and day to day practice management outsourced, health professionals can concentrate on maximising patient treatment times.

The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is due to open its doors fully for business in the Spring of 2014. When it does it will offer many more opportunities to participate in sport. In the meantime there are lots of special events, taster sessions and trials taking place across the country for those whose appetite has been whetted for Rio 2016 and beyond or who just want to take up the challenge and get a little fitter.

The Wimbledon effect

If you are toying with the theory that everything and everyone are connected in some way then the annual feast of tennis at Wimbledon may help to cement your belief. For no sooner has the first ball been struck on the hallowed Centre Court than gardens and roads across the country resound with the thunk of old tennis ball on broken racket.

For two weeks every year it almost seems as though every child is a tennis player. Whilst the professional players may be contesting for pride and £millions, never has a match been more keenly contested than that staged in the alleyway between the garden shed and the cabbages.

Unfortunately, at the time of writing the first few days of Wimbledon 2013 have been dogged with controversy about the state of the courts and the numbers of those who have withdrawn due to injury. No matter that a higher number of players withdrew at the same stage of the US Open two years before or that the first couple of days always sees a number of slips at Wimbledon as the grass beds in; the toll of injuries has lead to much comment both in the press and in the players’ lounge.

In truth it is impossible for any sports person to go through their life without picking up one injury or another. Writing for the BBC, Andy Murray acknowledged this saying:

“As athletes, you spend a lot of your time carrying injuries of one sort or another. I’d say there are three categories: about 20% of the time your body feels great and you feel nothing; quite a bit of the time you’ll have something that might be a bit sore, but it doesn’t affect your tennis at all; the rest of the time you can be carrying something that means you have to compensate and make adjustments to your game. Everyone has to deal with it.”

Whether professional sports person or not, when an injury strikes the quicker treatment starts the better. Physiotherapists, osteopaths and other health professionals know that early treatment not only promotes a swifter return to form it can also help to prevent the occurrence of further compensating injures. But maximising the availability of treatment times is not easy when time is also taken up in managing diaries and answering calls. Using a virtual assistant service can relieve the pressure and enable health professionals to concentrate on helping patients to return to form without compromising on service.

Workout at work day

Workout at work day 2013 has been hailed as a success with hundreds of events taking place across the UK. From exercise classes and yoga to simple walks in the fresh air, the businesses taking part have all stepped up to recognise the benefits which they can gain through encouraging employees to exercise.

Organised by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP), the day was billed as an opportunity for businesses to work with employees to develop a healthy lifestyle. The CSP encouraged businesses to call in a local physiotherapist to show how simple changes in exercise or working patterns can make a huge difference to staff wellbeing and attendance levels.

According to the CSP, poor work habits such as sitting for long periods, not taking breaks and working late can all increase the risk of musculoskeletal disorders and stress, depression or anxiety. This in turn can contribute to the millions of days lost every year due to employer-related ill health. Taking time out to encourage employees to work fitter can therefore make a huge difference to a business. In fact a report by The Work Foundation revealed that for every £1 spent on wellbeing initiatives, businesses gained £3 of benefits.

For physiotherapists too, this day brings the opportunity to make contact with businesses in their area. This brings multiple opportunities for closer working relationships including the possibility of arranging contracted physiotherapy and advice sessions for businesses. This type of service is already widely offered by other health-related practitioners such as chiropractors and is generally appreciated by employers and employees alike.

Of course this does raise the question of client contact when out of the office. There is no point in arranging a weekly session at a local business if this means other clients can’t make appointments. The solution is to use the services of a virtual assistant. When you can’t answer the phone the virtual assistant can step in, taking calls and messages and arranging appointments. This means that your business is never out of touch even if you are. Virtual assistants can also send out appointment reminders and organise patient records.

Workout at work day is a great reminder of the way in which health services can reach out and help people to achieve a better work/life balance. Using a virtual assistant service to help when out of contact also means that health practitioners themselves can balance their work, home and client needs.

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