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Patient Online May 2016 update

NHS England and Healthy London Partnership have asked us to thank you for your efforts to enable online services in London. Practices are now in a position to offer patients online appointment booking, online repeat prescription ordering and online access to detailed coded information held in their GP record. 

The Patient Online team tell us that evidence from national accelerator sites indicates that practices that actively promote these services and register patients benefit from reduced administrative workload and increased patient satisfaction. There is also a reduction in DNA rates for appointments that are booked online. 

During 2016-17, NHS England will be working in collaboration with the BMA to encourage practices to sign up at least 10% of their patients for online services in order to gain the potential benefits. Over 50% of practices already have 10%, and almost 20% of practices have over 20% of patients registered for online services. 

Healthy London Partnership together with South West London Collaborative recently conducted a project in order to improve the provision of online services in primary care.  This project work was led by local Patient Online facilitators that worked directly with South West London practices delivering: 

• Technical support to Practice Managers and administrative staff in switching on online functionality
• Engaging with GPs and practice team staff, raising awareness, delivering presentations and webinars for all practice staff
• Empowering patient participation groups and local voluntary sector organisations to champion Patient Online to raise awareness in their local community
• Raise awareness around Patient Online
• Utilised a wide range of communications tools for practices that included leaflets, posters and on-line toolkit

Results of this project have shown an increase in patient activation.Case studies, learning and evaluation materials have been produced which will be made accessible to assist London practices in increasing delivery of online services throughout London. 

What practices can do collaboratively to encourage uptake: 

• Provide patients with an online services registration form and patient information leaflet
• Promote online services to your patients via your website, telephone answering service, posters/TV screens in your waiting room and practice leaflets
• Ensure practice staff know how to register patients with online services and be aware of any safeguarding risks 

Registration forms, promotional materials and patient information leaflets can be downloaded online at: www.england.nhs.uk/materialforpatient/.

If you would like support, please email the national Patient Online team at england.patient-online@nhs.net and Health London Partnership at POLLondon@nhs.net. 

Further information is available at www.england.nhs.uk/patient-online.

Last updated : 25 May 2016

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