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17
Oct
Harrogate hospital to contact 50,000 people about new appointments system
Harrogate hospital is to contact 50,000 people next week encouraging them to sign up to a new system to manage their appointments online.
The digital patient portal, called Patients Knows Best, is free and can be accessed via the NHS app.
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust will send emails and text messages to residents next week inviting them to register.
Those who sign up will be able to get details of their outpatient appointments online and via the NHS app. They will also be able to request cancellations and amendments to appointments.
The trust says the portal will give people greater control of their health and care information and improve patient experience.
Dr Gui Tran, the trust’s lead for outpatient transformation, said:
The patient portal is a really convenient and easy way of accessing and changing your appointments. It means you don’t have to wait for the letter to arrive in the post. But if it’s not right for you, we will continue to send letters in the post.
The service enables patients to store appointment letters on their mobile phone.
They can access them when they arrive at hospital, rather than hunt for appointment letters before they leave home.
Accounts can be shared with trusted family members or friends, helping those who rely on others for transport or support during appointments.
About 30,000 patients have already registered with Patients Knows Best.
Over 1,200 appointment letters are being read every week on the online patient portal, instead of letters being printed and posted.
A trust spokesperson said it had helped to reduce postage and administrative costs and reduce the number of missed appointments.
Patients Know Best supports the NHS Long Term Plan to enable digital access to NHS services.
You can find out more here.
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