Rising numbers of patients and the resulting through put of correspondence have recently put unsustainable burdens on secretarial staff. Often, offices are piled high with four-week-old notes from outpatient clinics, with secretaries furiously typing away to clear the backlog and ignoring all else. It is imperative that you free your secretary to become the personal assistant who has the time to co-ordinate patients at your clinics or speak to that patient with the sensitive query