Attending hospital appointments is essential for patients to access the medical care they need to maintain and improve their health. Across North West London, individuals living in the most deprived areas and from ethnic minority groups face a variety of barriers to attending outpatient appointments at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. The focus of this collaborative project between IGHI’s Helix Centre and the Trust was to understand why people miss their appointments and to co-design solutions with community members that help them to attend.
Going to the first outpatient appointment can help prevent a chain reaction of health inequity. By attending diagnostic appointments (such as scans), individuals help to ensure timely diagnoses and interventions, which can lead to better health outcomes and more effective treatment and management of their conditions.