Behind the scenes with Patient Finance 

Tracey Sopp, our Managing Director, found out how important the patient cashier service is in supporting better care on a recent visit to the team at Carleton clinic in Cumbria. She visited the busy office to find out about their work and how they ensure the safe keeping of patient money as well as sorting petty cash for staff across the hospital. 

Patients staying with CNTW are able to access their money through patient finance. This money can be an important part of their care as it is used by the patients to buy things for themselves, pay for activities and to visit places. Tracey heard how just visiting the patient finance office itself can be part of the care patients receive, as it means they are able to get off the ward and talk to somebody different. In fact, the staff in the office said that the best part of the job was getting to know the patients; building up a relationship, chatting to them, and talking about what they’re doing with their money. 

Like everyone else, money is always an important part of patient’s lives and this is especially so at times like Christmas where people might be buying presents for themselves or loved ones. A more recent change introduced has been an increase in online ordering where the team is still involved in making the payments, but the process is obviously different. NTW Solutions has invested in the cash office at Carleton clinic, which is much larger than it was before, and it’s now nice, bright, and modern and a much better working environment. 

Tracey heard how the biggest headache in the job is sorting out receipts and making sure they are all in order. That can be quite a challenge but is a central part of our processes. She got a feel for how important the team is to the patients receiving care with CNTW and the role they play in supporting better care.