SPECIALIST urology nurses at Salisbury District Hospital have improved the quality of care they provide through a new telephone follow up appointment service.

The new system is nurse-led and is for patients with lower urinary tract symptoms. Many tend to be elderly and have multiple appointments, often having to travel long distances to and from clinics.

Billy Richardson, urology specialist nurse, said: “Urology nurse-led clinics have been used in Salisbury for many years with lower urinary tract symptom follow-up clinics taking place twice a week. We felt many of these patients could benefit from follow-up over the telephone, rather than coming into hospital.

“We asked them for their views and the majority of our patients were happy with a telephone service, with the opportunity to attend clinics in person if they needed to be seen.

“We now have telephone clinics once a week and the latest audit has shown the majority of patients with urinary tract symptoms are now followed up in this way. This has cut over 200 hospital visits each year.”