New e-consult system set to be rolled out at Addison House and Barbara Castle surgeries
Health / Mon 22nd Aug 2022 at 12:52pm
PATIENTS have been welcomed back to visit the surgery to speak to their reception teams both at Addison House and Barbara Castle Centres. Drop-ins will allow patients to book appointments and speak to staff.
The easiest way to get in touch with the surgery to book appointments, manage patient administration and more is still via the online services.
Addison House has partnered with E-Consult to simplify the online services. From 6th September 2022, DoctorLink will be discontinued. Patients will be invited to register for E-Consult as a replacement. There are several benefits to this change.
You can use eConsult from any device connected to the internet
Upload a photograph to help triage medical issues
eConsult is built into the NHS App to minimise the number of applications used to manage your healthcare
Their GP practice has put in place a free service called eConsult, allowing you to submit your symptoms or requests online.
You can ask for help or advice from your practice from the safety of your home, at any time of day.
How it works
There are three ways to access and submit an eConsult:
- Via the eConsult banner on your practice’s website, on any device
- Download and use the NHS App on your phone or tablet
- Through the eConsult GP finder on the website https://econsult.net/nhs-patients
From there, all you have to do is complete a quick online questionnaire which is sent to your practice. Using this, your GP can quickly check your eConsult and advise you on the best next steps.
You can also search for trusted NHS self-help advice, complete administrative requests and give your GP updates about long-term conditions through eConsult.
Help your practice and community:
eConsult not only helps you, but it also helps your practice and fellow patients. By using eConsult first, your practice can better understand the needs of all patients asking for help. By going online, it also frees up the phone lines for patients unable to use computers or the internet. You’ll be asked to come in for an appointment if your doctor decides you need one – saving you a trip to the practice. You’ll still get a response from your practice quickly and know that your doctor is still there to help you.
Find out more here:
https://econsult.net/nhs-patients
https://econsult.net/econsult-faqs
https://youtu.be/1fGEpzrgAJc
View from Afar
2022-08-22 13:18:38
I had a bad cough for 3 weeks, the televised advice is contact your GP if this is the case. I used e-consult, received an email saying they would reply within 3 days. When I did get a reply the response was go to a pharmacist!
Nick Churchill
2022-08-22 14:16:22
How many patients at Addison house and Barbara Castle HC have internet connection, other access? I am talking about elderly and vulnerable patients, I have many conversations with older constituents who prefer to use a landline phone and in many cases still write letters. Because there is no local paper anymore they have no access to any of this information anyway. I wonder if the bean counters who thought this genius idea up have factored in the cost of posting information out to all patients who have no other form of communication and then the cost of upgrading the practice phone system to allow calls to be answered properly and in good time to assist their elderly patients rather than just sending them to A and E. It does also beg the question where are the GP's are they still there or have they all got other jobs instead of serving their patients who put their trust in them?
David Forman
2022-08-23 08:25:26
Nick Churchill makes some good points about elderly people and those who are not technology savvy. However, good to see technology used to supposedly improve service. Let's wait and see if that is the case?
Nick Churchill
2022-08-23 16:01:35
Thank you David, obviously nothing wrong with technology as long as provision is made for those who choose not to use it or are unable to use it. From the comments I get from constituents this is not always the case.
Steve
2022-08-23 17:35:53
I have tried to access eConsult without success but presumably my GP service will get in contact so I can register and make use of this new facility?
EMILY Pankhurst
2022-08-23 19:09:53
Many an older patients also gives up when waiting for an answer on a landline. Something needs to change drastically. The older generation are being completly overlooked.
Nicholas Taylor
2022-08-25 06:34:13
And what about those who cannot read, those who can speak English but have trouble reading it and those who are partially sighted or are blind? I remember the good old days when if you needed an appointment you went up to a counter at Addison House, a person had a big ledger, they turned a page and made an appointment, you were in and out in about a minute. Now you stand at a counter and it seems like ages whilst the person trolls through the computer screens, you look round and the queue is getting longer and longer, then if you are lucky you get an appointment with a doctor, not your doctor of course and the appointment is weeks away.
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