We at Haughton Thornley Medical Centres have been encouraging patients to register for online services for over 14 years now. Patients can
- Book appointments online for health care assistants, phlebotommists, nurses and now some GP appointments too
- Order repeat prescriptions
- Send secure messages
- View electronic health records
- Share their record with others too
- Provide proxy access for family members or carers with separate access logins
Tradiitonally patients could do this by going online via a computer or laptop. However in recent years apps have now been developed for Apple iOS and Google Android devices which means you can literally access your records from anywhere if you like where you can access the internet from using a device that literally fits in your pocket!
Both suppliers offer similar services allowing you to log in to your electronic health record to access the online services using any computer or laptop as well as offering apps for your smartphone or tablet too. The functionality is the same although it can be easier to do somethings on a computer (eg reading letters) whilst the ease of access to view your records when you are out and about means a smartphone is more usefui in everyday use.
- Imagine being able to see what your doctor or nurse has done for you so that you no longer need to try to remember everything but can read the information about you.
- Imagine being able to just go online right now, whereever you are and order your repeat prescriptions or send a secure message to the surgery knowing staff will be able to pick it up and act on it when the surgery opens!
- Imagine not havign to worry about when the results will be back after you have had a blood test or an Xray because you can now go online and check for yourself
- Or imagine going on holiday and if you fall ill, being able to log into your records and show what your GP can see even though you may be on the opposite side of the planet.
There are some unique differences between the 2 systems suppliers- the table below highlights this for ease
|
|
|
|
|
Customer Service available via System supplier
|
|
|
|
Book an appointment
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Order Repeat Prescriptions
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Receive notifications reminder for medications on smartphone
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Learn more about medications
|
|
|
|
View full Electronic Health Records
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
View Summary Medical Records
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
See linked information to help understand the problem
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
View Consultations including free text
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
View Blood test results
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
View graph of Blood Test results to see trends
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
View letters and other documents
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
View photos of rashes etc
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Update your email address and mobile number
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Send and Receive Secure Messages
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
View height via Personal Health Record
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
View Pulse Rate via Personal Health Record
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
View distance walked via Personal Health Record
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
View Steps Taken Per Day
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
Copy of Record Taken by Service Provider
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
iPhone /iOS app
|
|
|
|
Google Android app
|
|
|
|
Can share personal measurements with surgery including blood glucose, blood pressure, peak flow rate and weight and others
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Can link to own Genetic Data (private service independent of the NHS)
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Can upload own letters & documents
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Receive newsfeed messages
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Enabling sharing record with somebody you know
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Easily switch profile via the app
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Easily see the Audit Log for when your record has been accessed
|
Yes
|
No
|
Our staff have been trained to provide support including helping you to register online for the services. If you still have any problems then please send an email to
htmcpatient@nhs.net and we will get back in touch with you.
Age is no barrier with patients from newly born through to our oldest patient aged over 101 years old who have access to their electronic health records. Similarly intellectual ability is not a barrier either - currently 45% of all our patients with Learning disability have access. Also ethnicity is not a barrier either with 69% of all our Bangladeshi patients having signed up. So is true for people with mental health problems and a whole host of other problems too. The only barrier seems to be being offered the service and also people's own willingness to learn and give it a go.
We have now install free wifi for all our patients. You can access the internet for free whilst in the waiting room. Simply search for NHSwifi, register for a free account and then you can go online.
.jpg)
