State-of-the-art patient pagers at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, allowing patients more freedom and independence as they wait for their appointments.

The QuietCall IQ patient pagers have been introduced to the chemotherapy and haematology day unit at the hospital, to allow patients to move away from waiting rooms if clinics are late or doctors are called to an emergency.

The QE is one of the first hospitals in Britain to begin using the state-of-the-art QuietCall IQ patient paging system in a bid to help reduce the stress of waiting times.

Patient pagers are handed out by reception staff and buzz five minutes before the patients are needed for their appointment, giving them time to get back.

Patrick Moore, GP Services Manager at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, said: “We worked with the supplier Pager Call Systems to ensure that we provided coverage of all areas that patients may go to whilst waiting.

“The system reaches from the sixth floor right down to the lobby area and even outside. The pagers are a great addition to the department and we’re delighted to be able to offer patients a better waiting experience.

“It’s important to us that patients get a good balance between excellent medical care and providing a good overall experience at our hospital. Sometimes waiting times are unavoidable so being able to free patients from waiting rooms to relax over a tea or coffee improves their experience during their visit.

“We’re very grateful to QEHB Charity for funding these extra innovative pieces of equipment, which really make a big difference to patients, and we plan to implement the system in other departments later this year.”

Mike Hammond, Chief Executive of QEHB Charity, said: “These patient pagers are an excellent idea. They really make a difference for patients as it can be frustrating being restricted to a waiting area if there is a delay.

“This way they can go to the cafe or shop or just step outside for some fresh air and feel their time is being better spent than just sitting in a waiting area.”

For further information contact Pager Call Systems Ltd on 0800 774 7320 https://pagercall.co.uk