Analysis
How a Lisbon clinic network cut waiting times by a third
No new hospitals, no new doctors. Just a shared booking system, evening shifts and a nurse who answers the phone.
Health reporter
10 min read
A clinic corridor in Lisbon. Evening appointments now make up a quarter of all visits.
Two years ago, patients at a network of 14 public clinics in Lisbon waited an average of 23 days for a non-urgent appointment. Today, the average is 15.
The change did not come from new buildings or extra funding. It came from reorganising what already existed.
Three changes
A single booking system for all 14 clinics, so patients can take the first free slot anywhere.
Evening sessions, staffed by doctors who preferred later hours.
A triage nurse who calls every patient before the appointment.
“Half of the waiting list did not need a doctor. They needed someone to talk to first,” the network’s director said.
Can it travel?
Health officials in Porto and Madrid are studying the model. The main obstacle, they say, is not money but software: most clinics still use systems that cannot talk to each other.
Hannah Okoye
Health reporter
Hannah covers health systems, patients and what actually happens in waiting rooms.
