Fractured Leg, fractured processes - what conveyancing can learn from the NHS
I recently went to hospital for the first time after badly spraining my ankle. On arrival I was asked for my date of birth, address and GP, and was told to take a seat. Like many others, I assumed the patients were in a queue, so it was peeving when someone arriving later was prioritised over me. Naturally, certain patients waiting for a considerable period of time started to badger the receptionist, who in turn became incredibly defensive.
After waiting for an hour, I was ushered in to see to a doctor, who asked me the same questions as the receptionist - date of birth, address and GP - and sent me to another block for x-rays. Hobbling back with my x-rays in hand, I then had my leg plastered and was directed to go to the A&E for a second opinion on whether I needed an operation to have my leg plated and pinned.
At the A&E, I explained that I had been referred, on which I experienced a Dj vu of suspiciously similar questions - name, address, date of birth. The Fracture Doctor asked me for my x-rays. I innocently assumed they had been emailed to her, to which she responded, This is the NHS. We're not joined up like that.
So there I was, hobbling over to the Imagery Department, waiting for more x-rays; more expense to the Exchequer.
Given the farcical repetitions during the day, I decided to request my x-rays on file before going home. There was no administrator in sight, so the poor radiographer opted to burn the CD.
You might wonder what my experience at the NHS has to do with conveyancing, but as I sat between appointments, I started to think about how lessons learned over a broken leg can be applied to our industry where we still see certain instances of repetition and miscommunication.
The initial confusion over queuing at the NHS was sorted out after the receptionist calmed down and explained that there are two queues, and the one moving faster is for patients to be seen by nurses, not by doctors. Miscommunication is also one of the biggest grievances in the conveyancing industry, blamed often for the delays that cause homebuyers in a chain further duress during one of the most stress-inducing times of their life. The blame does not lie solely with conveyancers, of course, but our industry needs to spearhead a change in perception.
Secondly, like in the NHS, there is also a need in conveyancing to harness new technology. Introducing new processes is costly and the initial capture of data buried in legacy systems needs time, but a revamp also offers long-term efficiency and cost-effectiveness. For example, here at Search Acumen, we use deductive technology to deduce the answer to subsequent enquires in the personal search report, based on the initial response entered by a searcher. The technology intelligently populates subsequent questions based on an initial Yes', No' or N/A'. Imagine if number of x-rays were saved in a central repository of data at the NHS, or forms deductively filled out across the healthcare system the first day a patient walks in.
In a matter of weeks my fractured leg will be healed but fractured property transactions need to be mended too, and I call on my peers to join the initiative.
*Andy Sommerville is Director of Search Acumen
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