Online access now available at majority of GP practices within England
Official figures have shown that more than 95% of GP practices in England are set up to offer online access to GP records.
Access to test results can now be viewed by over 55M patients on arrival to the practice, in addition they will be able to access key data such as diagnoses, immunisations and medication history. Which will help patients to take greater control of their own care.
The move is the latest step in the plan to offer a raft of online GP services to patients, to help improve access to services and self-management of health, as well reduce the strain on practices.
Evidence from NHS England reports state that, ‘no show’ rates for appointments booked online are 35 percent lower than for those booked through conventional means, highlighting the potential to save GPs significant time and resources.
“Encouraging patients to access their GP record online helps put them in the driving seat of their care,” said Matthew Swindells, NHS England National Director for Commissioning Operations and Information.
“Patients with long term conditions such as heart disease will be able to track their lab results including cholesterol levels as soon as they come back to their GP and see how they alter in response to lifestyle changes.”
Greater use of technology to boost patient care is a key commitment of the General Practice Forward View, published by NHS England earlier this year. In the future the NHS aims to become completely paperless by 2020