“Over the next five years every patient in England will have a new right to choose this (digital first) option – usually from their own practice or, if they prefer, from one of the new digital GP providers.”
I’m going to describe it with three words you wouldn’t normally put together.
Encouraging – Matt Hancock has clearly recognised how far behind the NHS is in patient service, and how new technology can help. I agree on tech enabled, but tech driven is something else.
Dangerous – shifting the ground rules to move patients away from their own local NHS GP will do immeasurable damage to the long term continuity of care integral to the registered list system, and in so doing undermine the professional careers of GPs. Test this idea against Prof Chris Salisbury’s Mackenzie Lecture – the transcript now with illustrations is a must read.
Lackadaisical – with many patients forced to wait three weeks for an appointment, why make them wait five years for change? We’re turning regular NHS practices into digital first practices overnight (well, with four weeks preparation, then overnight). Digital first because all patients are welcome online, but not forced online, and we’re seeing over 60% from day one.
Day one feedback, today: “Seeing its a new introduction, I think its fantastic. The helpfulness, the speed, and the results. Thank you.” Gentleman, 71, Weston-super-Mare.
Encouraging, Dangerous, Lackadaisical
So the NHS long term plan has landed and it’s a techie one. Should we be happy?
As a part-time nerd myself I can’t help but feel the enthusiasm with the word “digital” appearing no less than 14 times in this single page on primary and outpatient care.
“Over the next five years every patient in England will have a new right to choose this (digital first) option – usually from their own practice or, if they prefer, from one of the new digital GP providers.”
I’m going to describe it with three words you wouldn’t normally put together.
Encouraging – Matt Hancock has clearly recognised how far behind the NHS is in patient service, and how new technology can help. I agree on tech enabled, but tech driven is something else.
Dangerous – shifting the ground rules to move patients away from their own local NHS GP will do immeasurable damage to the long term continuity of care integral to the registered list system, and in so doing undermine the professional careers of GPs. Test this idea against Prof Chris Salisbury’s Mackenzie Lecture – the transcript now with illustrations is a must read.
Lackadaisical – with many patients forced to wait three weeks for an appointment, why make them wait five years for change? We’re turning regular NHS practices into digital first practices overnight (well, with four weeks preparation, then overnight). Digital first because all patients are welcome online, but not forced online, and we’re seeing over 60% from day one.
Day one feedback, today: “Seeing its a new introduction, I think its fantastic. The helpfulness, the speed, and the results. Thank you.” Gentleman, 71, Weston-super-Mare.
Come on Matt, keep up!
Harry Longman
What you can read next
Taming the threat of digital first
GP at hand. General practice in very big trouble.
The dark side of digital inequality