Many of us are leading busy lives. Juggling work and family commitments can mean that when we need to see a GP, finding the time to call and make an appointment or even going into the GP Surgery can be a challenge.
However, here in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, we can use the NHS App as our main ‘gateway’ to access health and social care.
Here’s how the NHS App recently helped Mark, a 27-year-old bricklayer from Mansfield, when he unexpectedly needed to see his GP.
Like lots of men Mark’s age, he doesn’t often need to contact his GP, but as a rash on his leg got worse, it became clear that he needed some help.
As Mark is self-employed, starting work early in the morning, stopping to call his surgery at 8am to try and make an appointment wasn’t going to be easy.
And at the same time, if Mark needed to go into the surgery for an appointment, it would further impact on his work.
But, with the help of his girlfriend and by using the NHS App, Mark was able to easily connect with his GP, without impacting on work at all.
Mark says:
“I’d had a rash on my leg for a couple of weeks. Didn’t think much of it at first, but over a few weeks, it began to get worse, was very irritated and looking sore. I knew I needed to contact the Doctor but didn’t want to spend hours on the phone trying for an appointment, and then take time off work for the actual appointment.’
‘I hadn’t heard of the NHS App, but Sarah, my girlfriend, said she uses it all the time. So, she suggested that I try it out too.’
‘I’d downloaded and registered for the App the night before, and then we were actually sat having breakfast, when I used it to send a message about the rash to my GP.’
‘Using it was really easy. I just completed an online form (Contact Your GP about a Health Problem), described my symptoms and took a picture of the rash on my leg; that was it. All done whilst I was having breakfast, all before work. No time wasted trying to make an appointment on the phone.
‘Even better, by 4 pm, I’d had a message back from the Doctors via the App. No need for an appointment. They were able to prescribe some cream based on the information I’d shared in the morning. My prescription had been sent to my nearest pharmacy and would be ready to collect the following day. I was amazed.”
Mark’s story shows that the NHS App is useful for everyone, even people who don’t often contact their GP or for those who might struggle to make in-person appointments.
Using the NHS App can give you more choice and easier ways to contact GP surgeries. By using the online form ‘Contact your GP about a Health Problem’, it can free up time and resources for people who feel more comfortable using the telephone or need to visit their surgery in person.
For your GP Practice, it can enable quicker triaging of enquiries and free up time for GPs as well as Practice teams.
Whatever your age, make sure you’re App ready by having the NHS App on your Smart phone.
Visit our website to learn more and download the App now: www.digitalnotts.nhs.uk/nhs-app