Online Services

[MichaelJH]

As some of you will know I recently moved into a "wheelchair friendly" flat. This means my second change of GP I a year. Unlike my previous ones where online services were limited or via the NHS App I have never got to work I have been offered all these portals. Any experience/thoughts on them?

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

And the rest...

A long list!

[MissisF in reply to MichaelJH]

Wow! A lot are unfamiliar & some are dispensing chemists so perhaps not all relevant. I find patient access ok but limited in its use but I found it good before NHSapp came along. The NHS app is very good & the only one I use BUT it took almost a year & a ‘meeting’ with the ‘tech/admin/ at our surgery to get it to work for my husband. Whereas I did it easily & find it hugely helpful and so does my hubby now it works! So I suggest you speak to the surgery & ask what help they have to get you managing your health online. Our surgery have tech volunteers. Surely yours can’t expect everyone to take to online healthcare instantly🤯. Wishing you a very happy Christmas and a healthy new year 🎅🏻🥰

[Kazzie68 in reply to MichaelJH]

I have been using the Patient Access one for quite a while now. It’s great for ordering repeat meds and checking test results. Wishing you a merry Christmas and a happy new year in your new home Michael xxx

[CDPO16]

Quite a comprehensive list you have been given. I use patient access for repeat medication, prescription is sent electronically to my chemist. I use Cohens who are pretty good and deliver to me.No experience of other pharmacies but have seen a few reports the pharmacy2u are not always reliable though others will have found it to be ok I expect. I have the my GP app but not used it yet. Others will probably come along with their experiences.

I hope you are settled in your new home and find the services you need from the list. Best wishes.

[080311]

Morning MichaelJHWe have the GP App use it for appointments pre pandemic, repeat prescriptions and blood tests. Your list is very comprehensive. Hope you can get your head round it.

Wishing you a very merry Christmas, and hope you have settled into your new flat. Let’s hope that 2022 is a better year for all of us.

Best wishes Pauline

[Hidden]

Dear MichaelJH

My goodness that’s a list and a half and I think as time goes on you will know what services on that list are the most relevant to your needs.

Hope your new home works for you and again helps you live your best life.

Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones

[SpiritoftheFloyd]

I've been using Patient Access for nearly 3 years now. It's excellent for ordering repeat prescriptions, and checking when the request has been approved so I don't need to waste time walking to the pharmacy to find the request hasn't been approved yet, If any other department of the NHS writes to me and copies in my surgery, it tends to pop up in PA before the actual letter gets to me, and of course sometimes they talk among themselves within involving me - so I can see those exchanges as well.All tests performed in the surgery, like blood tests also get loaded there, normally within a day (but that will vary area to area, the Phlebotomy Department in my area is incredibly quick).

You can book appointments (at least you could, but my surgery have withdrawn that function at the moment).

I'm also using the NHS App (not to be confused with the Test and Trace app), can't see it on your list, I downloaded that primarily to get access to the NHS Covid Pass, and it has the same functions as PA.

Hope you've settled in to your new home and Merry Christmas.

[SpiritoftheFloyd]

Some of my friends in Wales are quite amazed at this amount of things I can do online, but they can't.Once again I'm scratching my head and asking when will the NHS sort out it's IT and get ALL areas of the UK in synch.

When the NHS says they're under extreme pressure, going access to these tools for those who want to use them but currently can't would relive a bit of that pressure!

[Sunnie2day in reply to SpiritoftheFloyd]

And this is why I have MedicAlert - I can be anywhere in the world where there is a telephone and or a fax or email and my complete medical records are instantly available to the emergency medical professionals and other concerned parties.

I've used it Down South when I lost my meds box to prove to a chemist I have a repeat prescription up here in Scotland - a few taps and he knew I should be given a GTN spray and a box of Bisoprolol (I did have to pay and did so quite happily knowing I wouldn't be missing a dose).

There is NO communication between NHS Scotland and any other NHS UK so the MedicAlert bracelet and file 'on-tap' is a lifesaver in my opinion.

[SpiritoftheFloyd]

IT is low on the priority for NHS England as well. When I was in hospital in December 2018 and the consultant do the rounds with someone else wheeling the mobile laptop/screen I noticed they were still using Windows XP technology - Windows withdrew general support for this in 2009, large users, like the NHS, would have had the extended support for 5 years to 2014 - but here they were still using it 4 years beyond any type of support! (in my old working life I worked in IT and spent a lot of my time over the years ensuring that systems carried on working when the operating platform was migrated to a newer version). This probably goes some of the way to explain why I can't see my hospital records from that time or anything where I've had even a blood test in my local hospital in the time after my stay in hospital.

[benjijen]

Patient access is the one I've been using for a while now. Good for repeat meds, booking appointments (phone only at the moment), copies of letters, results etc. Have a good Christmas in your new home

[Seal59]

My husband used Patient Access and I use the NHS App. Both good for repeat prescriptions and looking up your records. I don’t know for anything else. My son used Doctorlink for trying to book an appointment and it was terrible. It’s like a self diagnostic question/answer thing which went on for about 20 minutes, it was loading the questions so that it veered you towards certain things, and in the end the egg timer came up and then froze and finally said he needed an appointment! So frustrating.

[Routemaster in reply to Seal59]

I have used Doctorlink for my husband and me since it was first trialled in Croydon. We always do our repeat prescriptions on it. Ours is much better than it was and if it decides you need a doctor's appointment it now offers you the slots for booking. My husband was given a telephone slot for Wednesday morning. By Wednesday afternoon he was being given blood tests in the hospital and by Wednesday evening he was picking up medication from the pharmacy - technology working at its best!Ann

[francesw47]

Hello Michael. Well, I've struggled with the same list! New GP practice very efficient and sent it to me as soon as I had registered.....and thats as far as it goes!! I understand that Patient Access is good enough for my needs....and my new year resolution is to learn to deal with all the tech......Meanwhile, wishing you a Happy (tech free) Christmas.

Frances x

[Nettekin]

😏 x

[Hidden]

We use ask my gp for advice and appointments and the NHS app for repeat prescriptions, we find this works best for us. How times have changed! Happy Christmas everyone.

Update! Just received the same link as you notifying me not to order repeat prescriptions via ask my gp so we’ve downloaded the Patient Access App, I’m impressed with it. 🕊

[Handel]

Hello Michael. I've got the LIVI and NHS Apps which help with appointment booking, prescriptions etc. For some reason, the digital access I had to our surgery is hopeless. I think it's something to do with my MacBook as each time I tried to log on, I got "This is an unsafe site - return to safety mode" message!!!I hope you get yourself sorted out.

Hope you have a good Christmas and a great 2022. All the very best. Jan xx

[gladliz]

That 'Translation' reminds me of one quoted in 'The book of heroic failures' by Stephen Pile. It's too long to repeat here but if you ever need to "Craunch a Marmoset" please let me know and I'll come and watch. 😀😂😂

[Coper10]

I use evergreen life. Mainly for ordering prescriptions, checking results and letters. Been using it since April and am pleased with it so far.

[Hidden]

Hello Michael, I’ve been using patient access for some time now. Easy to navigate, can order repeat prescriptions and look up test results but another useful tool is the message service for non urgent communication with the Doctors, receptionists and secretaries at the surgery. Best of luck with whatever you choose !

[Purkinje]

Great to see your gp practice has given you the list. We have used patient access for some time and more recently the NHS app both of which are reasonably easy to use. However it doesn't matter too much what you choose as it all depends on the services your practice has activated. Ours is a pain as it doesn't allow blood results, appointments or messages so usefulness of the apps is limited. Its a shame as they are a good practice but (in my case) it can add to their time when I ask for print outs of blood results as I understand them. So before choosing check what your practice allows, otherwise the NHS app is pretty good. Tierisch

[Sunnie2day]

Patient Access is what I use, it's more or less efficient but I think it depends on the surgery more than anything. It goes down up often up here where I am in Scotland but other areas report it as very successful.