Digital Health Coffee Time Briefing ☕

Your morning summary of digital health news, information and events to know about if you want to be “in the know”.

👇 News

🩺 Patients Know Best (PKB) has gone live at Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust (CHFT), replacing the Your EPR patient portal and complementing the trust’s new DrDoctor appointment management system. After registering, patients can log into PKB via an internet-enabled device and view their health information, appointment letters, test results and other information. CHFT said the ability for patients to view and manage their health information in one place will improve their experience. 

🏅 Digital consultancy and NHS partner Answer Digital has been shortlisted for the Employee Owned (EO) Business of the Year award at the UK Employee Ownership Awards. Answer Digital has helped deliver more than 300 local and national digital transformation projects with the NHS and was recognised for its efforts in driving employee ownership practices, including employee wellbeing, exceptional business performance and people-powered growth. Winners will be revealed on 26 November at the EOA Annual Conference in Telford.

🤝 Doctor Care Anywhere and ZoomDoc have partnered to offer same-day medical letters and certificates 24/7, aimed at relieving pressure on the NHS during peak travel periods like the October half-term. The partnership enables Doctor Care Anywhere’s clinicians to refer patients directly to ZoomDoc’s online services, providing faster access to essential documents like fit-to-fly certificates, reducing wait times for patients and easing the burden on GP services.

💡 Royal United Hospitals (RUH) Bath NHS Foundation Trust has launched a Digital Inclusion service to improve access to and experiences of digital healthcare technologies. A team of patient access navigators are offering bespoke, one-on-one support and encouragement to help patients feel more comfortable and confident using technology to manage their health, which could include wearable technology, health apps or digital appointment letters.

📲 Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust’s Patient Portal has been integrated with the NHS App in what the trust labelled “a significant milestone” in its Patient Portal programme. The integration allows patients across southeast London to view their outpatient appointments directly within the NHS App, alongside existing features like managing repeat prescriptions and GP appointments. The move aims to simplify access to healthcare services, addressing patient feedback on the challenges of navigating multiple online systems.

❓Did you know?

Nearly half (49%) of NHS hospitals in England are rated as ‘Requires Improvement’ or ‘Inadequate’ by the CQC, according to data from Patient Claim Line. 

Only 6.8% of hospitals have achieved an ‘Outstanding’ rating, indicating “exceptional performance,” its analysis of CQC ratings found. Meanwhile, 44% are rated as ‘Good,’ meaning they are “performing well and meeting expectations”.

The regions with the highest number of hospitals not meeting all required standards are London, with 16 hospitals, followed by Manchester and Sheffield, each with four.

📖 What we’re reading

Dan Wellings’ blog post, Five essentials for the NHS’s new national conversation, shares insights on the government’s newly-announced Change NHS initiative, touted as the “biggest ever conversation about the future of the NHS.” 

Published by The King’s Fund on 21 October, the piece emphasises the importance of listening to the public, NHS staff and communities to ensure that changes truly reflect the needs of those rely on and work in the NHS.

Wellings highlights five factors that he argues are critical for success, including giving equal weight to local and national perspectives and ensuring all voices, especially those from marginalised communities, are heard. He also stresses that genuine engagement and transparency and a shift in organisational culture are key to making the effort more than just a box-ticking exercise. 

🚨Upcoming events

6 November, virtual event – A digitally enabled health and care system