No boundaries plan needs shared records
The abolition of GP practice boundaries will increase the importance of shared medical records, according to the Department of Health. The DH has launched a consultation on its plans to scrap GP practice boundaries which it argues will meet demand from a “significant minority” of patients to move to a different practice. The consultation looks at […]
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Forest for the cup
The NHS Waltham Forest team implementing RiO was the overall winner in last year’s E-Health Insider Awards in association with BT. Daloni Carlisle reports.
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Lamb sets out ideas for NHS and IT
Liberal Democrat shadow health secretary Norman Lamb has called for NHS Connecting for Health to be scrapped, the Care Records Service to be abandoned, and Choose and Book to be revamped as a simple online booking system. The MP has set out his proposals in a document, The NHS: a liberal blueprint, which the party […]
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£1.7m for My Health Online
The Welsh Assembly Government has announced it will invest £1.7m in a bilingual website that will enable patients to book GP appointments and order repeat prescriptions online. Informing Healthcare, the Welsh NHS IT agency, says it is developing a “bespoke NHS Wales website” with GP system suppliers, which will allow patients to interact with GPs […]
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DH issues guide to ‘correct’ use of C+B
Hospitals, primary care trusts and GP practices are being urged to reconsider workarounds for Choose and Book in favour of following national guidelines on implementation. The Department of Health has issued new guidance on “the correct use” of the electronic booking system, covering such as how it should be used by individual clinicians, referral management services, availability […]
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CfH to crack down on C&B ‘misuse’
NHS Connecting for Heath is hoping to crack down on the misuse of Choose and Book through new guidance that will be published in the next few weeks.
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Survey calls for IT to help deaf
More than half of deaf and hearing impaired patients regularly face difficulties communicating with their GP surgery and would like practices to make greater use of IT solutions, according to a new survey. Patient information website Patient.co.uk and charity SignHealth surveyed 525 people with hearing problems to find out about their experiences of GP practices. […]
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DH promotes C+B to beat strike
The Department of Health is encouraging GPs and hospitals to use NHS Choose and Book and secure text messaging to manage referrals and appointment reminders during the postal strike. A DH spokesperson told EHI Primary Care that there were other ways of communicating with patients without using the post, including Choose and Book, email and text […]
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PDS access requires ‘business reason’
Staff accessing the Personal Demographics Service must have an appropriate ‘business reason’ for doing so, but need not have a legitimate relationship with a patient, according to NHS Connecting for Health. The Department of Health’s IT agency has published new guidance on managing access to the PDS, which sets out rules for access and the action […]
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Access code
Dr Maureen Baker, Caldicott Guardian for NHS Connecting for Health, outlines new guidance on the use of the Personal Demographics Service.
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