Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Health service communications
Michael Anderson's problems with hospital letters (mentioned under a thread about the postal service) moves me to start a new subject line.
In the past year I have noticed some acceleration in the use of electronic communications by both my GP and hospitals. Use of secure e-mail has spread and so has the requesting of appointments online. Blood test appointments made by phone are instantly confirmed by text message and, on request by phone, my GP practice sends a link by text that gives access to the test results. Specialists at the Royal Free are conducting video consultations where possible and my GPs are routinely conducting appointments by telephone. Letters to my GP are sent electronically and copied to me. Prescriptions are routinely sent electronically to my pharmacy. Most of this stuff can appear also on my NHS online medical record.
This transformation is still a work in progress and there are frequent glitches, delays and omissions but the trend is clear and much to be welcomed. The rate of change seems to depend somewhat on the individual practices and hospitals. My former singleton GP, now retired, didn't start any of this modern stuff until he got his daughters working temporarily as his receptionists!
My present GPs at Havergal surgery are more go ahead but it is clear that the process of change is still under way both there and elsewhere in the health services and we can look forward to continuing improvements. It would be worrying if any part of the health service failed to adapt to this trend. Relying on a single communication channel (whether it is snail mail or something else) without obtaining confirmation or providing back up is becoming outdated.
Tags for Forum Posts: GP, communications, doctors, health, hospitals
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by michaelw on
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We changed to West Green Surgery in February just before the pandemic set in & we've been impressed by their use of texts and rapid turn-around of prescriptions.
I decided to escape from Bridge House after many years of poor service, worried that if they couldn't cope with normal times it was unlikely that they would be able to cope with a pandemic.
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When I tried to register for a GP about two years ago in Walthamstow, I was frustrated by the amount of actual paper forms I had to fill out, and that was after I found a GP whose catchment area included my address, as few of them bothered to actually make that information easily available.
People unfamiliar with the fact that GPs are effectively independent contractors would be astonished by the difficulty in transferring locations within a "National" health service.
However, I recently registered online at West Green Surgery (with a catchment area map easily available), which took about five minutes, and within several days got reminder texts from them because I am eligible for a flu jab. Just as well they had online registration set up as they will want to minimize in person visits.
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The other day my wife received a letter from the NHS with a URL link to make a hospital appointment, after checking my input three times the result was the same, 'page not available'.
A few months before, my wife received a letter that she had failed to attend an NHS hospital appointment, the actual date was two weeks ahead. Deliberately shuffling appointments around is apparently common and statistically favours departments, the blame goes unfairly to a patients and will be announced in the annual 'patient failed appointment stats'.
Much as I love the NHS I don't think much of their IT departments nor will I believe their statistics.
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Xavier I don't think that shuffling appointments around is a creative way of registering work that the NHS is trying to avoid. I worked for the NHS much of my working life and I know only too well that many departments run without a full compliment of staff while squeezing in the maximum number of appointment slots resulting in changed appointments whenever there are staff shortages or sometimes the need to prioritise other patients. I'm afraid that present circumstances will have exacerbated this. I think you need to get back to your GP to let them know of the problems you have been having.
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Permalink Reply by Dick Harris on
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Continued progress. On Thursday my GP practice telephoned to offer a Covid jab. The appointment is tomorrow (Sunday) at Lordship Lane health centre.
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Permalink Reply by JulieB on
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I signed up for 'Patient Access' a couple of years ago and it's been great. I can make appointments, see test results and ask for repeat prescriptions on it.
I'm with Bridge House and I've been really impressed with their service during the last year (except for last March/April when it was virtually impossible to get through to them). I can even get through on the phone much easier now. My husband had a zoom appointment with a physio at St Annes this week, after only calling the Dr a few days before. I have had several phone call appointments with my Dr for myself and my children in the last 8 or 9 months.I would really like this to continue after the pandemic is under control, I would not miss sitting in the waiting room for always at least half an hour waiting to be seen. Obviously not all appointments can be done over the phone, but they've managed it perfectly so far for the things we've needed.
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