Source: Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa
At Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa, we’re always looking for more ways to improve equity, access, and choice for our clients. Open access scheduling is our next step to make it easier for clients to get the appointments they need, when they need them.
Earlier this year, we launched our online booking system. This was a game-changer, as it let our clients book, reschedule, and cancel appointments from the Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa website at their convenience.
Now, we’re rolling out open access scheduling across all our clinics. This means a portion of all our clinicians’ schedules are left open for same-day appointments. This includes doctors, nurses, and nurse practitioners.
Open access scheduling is designed to reduce the time it takes for clients to get an appointment, improve same-day appointment availability, and minimise appointment backlogs. This will be especially helpful for clients who need urgent services such as symptomatic STI testing.
Before rolling out open access scheduling nationwide, we ran trials in our Gisborne, Manukau, Henderson, and Lower Hutt clinics. We saw a significant reduction in the time it took for clients to get all appointment types, with the vast majority able to get same-day appointments or book for a time and date that suited them.
For clients who need regular appointments or prefer to book ahead, this option is still available. Open access scheduling sits alongside our regular booking service, allowing clients to more easily access appointments when they need them most.
This also means we’re moving away from drop-in times at most of our clinics. Instead of dropping into a clinic and waiting around for an appointment, clients can now use our online booking system or call our contact centre in the morning to get a same-day appointment, freeing up more of their time for the rest of their day. To see if your clinic still offers drop-in appointments, please check the clinic page on our website.
