Transforming Patient Access with Hero’s Appointment Reminders

Background

Stroud Green Medical Practice, located in North London, is a dynamic and rapidly growing GP practice. Led by the entrepreneurial duo of Dr. Anjan Chakraborty and Practice Manager Ms. Amy Cox, the practice has been dedicated to enhancing patient access while expanding its patient list by an impressive 20% per annum for the past four years.

To maintain their high level of patient service and streamline operations, Stroud Green sought innovative solutions to reduce missed appointments (Did Not Attends – DNAs), which not only disrupt clinic efficiency but also incur significant costs to the NHS.

The Challenge

Missed appointments are a persistent challenge for NHS GP practices. Each unattended appointment costs the NHS approximately £40, leading to inefficiencies and wasted resources. Stroud Green needed a cost-effective, reliable, and patient-friendly solution to reduce DNAs while maintaining accessibility for their growing patient base.

The Hero Health Solution

In early 2025, Stroud Green Medical Practice implemented Hero Health’s appointment reminder functionality. Hero’s reminders are highly configurable, allowing practices to tailor messages by appointment slot type and send notifications via the NHS App, email, or SMS.

Stroud Green opted for the zero-cost solution, leveraging NHS App and email reminders. These reminders followed a unique cadence of notifications sent at 7 days, 3 days, and 24 hours before an appointment. Through the embedded reminder links, patients were given the flexibility to confirm, cancel, or reply directly within the system.

Results & Impact

The impact of Hero’s appointment reminders was immediate and significant:

• 40% Reduction in DNAs: Over the first 30 days, DNA rates for appointment slots with reminders enabled dropped by 40% compared to the previous 12-month average.
• Substantial Cost Savings: With each DNA costing the NHS ~£40, this reduction translated into a £1,200 saving in January alone.
• Scalability & Future Plans: Encouraged by these results, Stroud Green now aims to extend Hero’s reminders to additional appointment types to maximize savings and efficiency.

Why Hero Health?

‍Stroud Green Medical Practice chose Hero Health over alternative solutions for two key reasons:

1. Unique Reminder Cadence – Unlike other providers, Hero’s structured approach with reminders at 7 days, 3 days, and 24 hours ensured multiple patient touchpoints, significantly reducing the likelihood of DNAs.
2. Cost-Effectiveness – By leveraging the NHS App and email, Stroud Green could implement Hero’s solution entirely free of charge, ensuring cost savings without compromising patient engagement.

Hero Health’s appointment reminders have proven to be a game-changer for Stroud Green Medical Practice. By reducing DNAs, the practice has saved valuable NHS resources while enhancing patient access. As they continue to scale these efforts, Stroud Green sets a benchmark for how primary care providers can leverage technology to improve operational efficiency and patient experience.