18th January 2023
More than 46,000 people have downloaded the NHS App in the city and county. Now, even more functionality is being added exclusively for Notts!
The Notts NHS App is being rolled out across the city and county after 46,000 patients signed up to revolutionary healthcare tech.
Downloads of the NHS App are higher in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire than anywhere else in the UK. Now, the Notts NHS App – which is an advanced version of the NHS App – is being made exclusively available to the local population enabling them to have more access to a range of health services in the palm of their hands.
The primary aim is to give patients more control over their health and wellbeing – challenging the ‘doctor knows best’ mantra and replacing it with ‘patients know best’.
More than 15,000 patients in Notts have already registered for these additional benefits.
This includes:
Middleton Lodge Practice in Newark is among the first health centres to offer the App to patients and has won praise from several patients.
Here is what they are saying:
Patient A, said:
I think the service is fantastic. It is much easier than going into the doctors. You get a quick response and good communication.
Patient B, said:
I find it useful to record symptoms of the physical issues I am currently experiencing, with the option of uploading documents and photographic support. This helps my GP in diagnosis and monitoring issues that affect me. Access to my reports and other medical information helps me to liaise better with other support organisations I deal with. Communications and consultation is easier through the app too - telephone lines can be busy and it is much easier to arrange an appointment, plus I can pre-advise the GP of my symptoms.
The Notts NHS App is being developed in partnership with Connected Nottinghamshire – the digital transformation programme for the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care System – and Patients Know Best (PKB), a social enterprise and technology platform.
Security and ethics are key priorities throughout every stage of the development. With social distancing set to remain an important aspect of daily life for some months ahead, the Notts NHS App is offering vital assistance for many people.
Every message is a phone call saved.
Your Personal Health and Care Record is created by linking the NHS App and Patients Know Best (PKB) so that the two systems can work together.cAll you need to do is register once for the NHS App and once for Patients Know Best.
The NHS App is free to download from the App Store or Google Play and can be used by anyone who is registered with a GP surgery in Nottingham or Nottinghamshire.
If you don’t own a smartphone or tablet you can still access all the features of the NHS App online through your computer or laptop.
You can register for Patients Know Best any time after your GP practice goes live with the service.
There are two ways in which you can register for Patients Know Best and get this enhanced functionality.
Register once for the NHS App and you will see additional buttons exclusive to Nottinghamshire – the first time you access these buttons you will need to register to claim your patient record. Every time you log on after this you will automatically see this information.
You might also receive a text from your hospital or GP Practice asking you to register for your PKB account, after you have registered by clicking on the link you will also be able to access this via the NHS App.
The enhanced functionality provides you with all your health and care information in one place and puts you in control of who can see it.
Health experts stress it is not a replacement for traditional healthcare – GP consultations and hospital visits remain important features of health care across the city and county.
But the App provides users with a ‘one stop shop’ offering a holistic approach to their health and wellbeing.
Whether you’re a busy career professional, a parent juggling school work and house work or a grandparent wanting reassurance – the Notts NHS App can help.
Practice manager, Jonathan Cummins, from Middleton Lodge Practice in Newark, applauded how the App is freeing up staff at the surgery to better support with the administration needs of the health care professions, saying: “The Notts NHS App is a great, secure way for patients to message a GP with additional information helping with decision making.”
Patients will have access to:
Your PKB account is yours for life. All your health and care information will continue to be fed in from all participating healthcare providers so you have a historical record of your health information all in one place.
The NHS takes the security of patients’ personal information very seriously. Your personal information is used to confirm your identity and set up your NHS login. This is done in line with data protection laws. Your information will not be shared outside your immediate care team and you are able to tailor who you wish to share your information with, whether that’s a relative, carer or private health and care provider.
Patients Know Best is also covered by the Data Protection Act and operates within strict NHS security standards. Your record is encrypted so that only you and those you choose to share it with can see what’s on it.
No, this will not affect the care you already receive from the NHS. Instead, it’s designed to improve the care and experience that you already receive, and to help you to be more involved in decisions, get better explanations from health professionals, and give you the tools to better manage care safely at home.
Eastwood resident, Teresa Burgoyne, supports the running of Eastwood’s Breathe Easy Group, part of the British Lung Foundation. She said:
The NHS app is a must have on your phone tablet or computer. You get reliable information with all the latest updates on the current situation, an excellent symptom checker for any condition, giving you peace of mind or advice.
Alexis Farrow, Head of Strategy and Transformation for Connected Nottinghamshire, said:
We’re thrilled to offer our population access to this innovative solution from Patients Know Best and the NHS App. Providing seamless access to digital health and care services is a huge step forward in modernising the way people interact with the NHS, and is vital with the unprecedented increase in demand on health and care settings due to the outbreak of Covid-19, and the reduction in face to face contact not only with friends and family, but also health and care professionals.
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