Choose and Book has been used for more than 25,000 bookings in a single day for the first time.
The e-booking system recorded more than 25,000 referrals one day last week, according to Choose and Book medical director Dr Stephen Miller.
Dr Miller told EHI Primary Care: “That is our highest ever bookings day in a single day.”
Dr Miller said that despite the increase in bookings usage of Choose and Book remains around the 50% mark with around 85% of all GP practices using the system to make referrals in the last week.
Dr Miller said the 50% figure was good news but there remained another 50% of bookings which were not made using the system.
He added: “Now we have got to try and convince those who for very good reasons have not yet given it a go or those who tried it and then stopped that they should give it another try.”
A new version of Choose and Book, release four, will be released on 12 April to support the government’s policy on free choice at referral which comes into effect this month.
Dr Miller said he believed Choose and Book would be the “simplest and fastest” way for referrers to find services for patients who wanted to take advantage of free choice.
The directed enhanced service (DES) which rewarded GPs for using Choose and Book came to an end on 31 March.
Dr Miller added: “Hopefully when the DES finishes there will be other reasons to continue to use Choose and Book”.
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