GPs To Encourage Online System Use

GPS are urged to actively encourage patients to go online for booking appointments and ordering repeat prescriptions.

17:03 09 December 2015

Baroness Martha Lane Fox, the founder of the Doteveryone organisation, recommends urging GPs to actively encourage patients to use the internet and to have every NHS building to provide free wi-fi so everyone can have equal opportunity to benefit from the most up-to-date medical and allied services available.

 

She said: "One of the founding principles of the NHS was to ensure that everyone - irrespective of means, age, sex, or occupation - should have equal opportunity to benefit from the best and most up-to-date medical and allied services available."

 

Tim Kelsey, NHS England national director for patients and information, supports Baroness Lane Fox's recommendations. He said: Digital health tools can dramatically improve people's lives and well-being.

 

"These bold challenges to the system to ensure that every person in the UK benefits are very welcome."

 

However, Dr Imran Rafi of the Royal College of General Practitioners said: "This cannot be the sole responsibility of GPs and their teams at a time when the profession is under such huge workload and resource pressures - policy-makers, and indeed patients themselves, also have a role to play."