Patient Hub launched across NHS Highland amid Covid delays to care
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NHS Highland has started using an online portal to check on patient care after waiting times spiralled during the pandemic.
Patient Hub is a secure online website providing information relating to care at the click of a button.
The portal, once fully operational, will allow patients to access information related to their hospital appointments.
It can be accessed using a smart phone, tablet or computer.
An NHS spokesman said implementation of this new system will "be complex and will take time".
The first phase of the implementation will be introducing the waiting list management system.
This relates to new appointments, also known as referrals, for patients.
The first department to progress to going live with the new system will be the Neurology service.
Patients with a new referral into the Neurology Service will be contacted by text or email detailing that they are on the waiting list.
Patients will only be contacted when they have been waiting for a specified number of weeks.
The NHS said this will be different for every speciality.
Patients who are waiting will be presented with a number of options:
· I still want my appointment
· I still want my appointment but wish to delay
· I no longer want my appointment
Once the patient selects the option they want their information will be uploaded and made immediately visible to NHS Highland dedicated administrators in the Patient Booking Service (PBS) who will manage this centrally at Raigmore Hospital.
Katherine Sutton, Chief Officer, from NHS Highland said: "Waiting lists for new outpatient appointments have grown due to the Covid pandemic which resulted in non-urgent activity being temporarily suspended.
"We now seek to address that and want to ensure all appointments are utilised for patients needing treatment.
"The waiting list validation system will allow patients the opportunity to digitally contact us and confirm whether they still require an appointment.
"Patients have told us they would like easier ways to communicate with us and this is one of the ways we are helping to facilitate this request.
"Validating our lists will have a number of benefits including reducing our waiting lists and reducing the number of DNA (did not attend) appointments.
"It is a system that we will be introducing slowly and on an incremental basis and we are confident patients will benefit from this new way of working."
The system is expected to go live on March 18.
Patients will receive a text / email from NHS-NoReply and are asked to follow the instructions contained in the message.
To ensure we have the most up-to-date contact information for you please email nhsh.dataqualitycr@nhs.scot with:
Your full name
Date of Birth
Address and post code
Phone number
CHI number (if known)
Further information is available at the NHS Highland website at: https://nhsh.scot/PtHub
