Improving out-patient appointment systems.

The Patient's Charter has recently set the standard for hospital out-patient clinics that patients will "be given a specific appointment time and will be seen within 30 minutes of that time". Describes the successful application of an operational research/operations management approach to out-patient appointment systems at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary. Draws the conclusion from a comparison of this and other studies that many hospitals face very similar problems with similar solutions; but that localized studies may often be required to achieve these solutions.