The challenge
In July 2024, Normanby Medical Centre, Eston Primary Care Network (PCN), Tees Valley, appeared on the Prospective Record Access non-compliant dashboard that NHS England issued monthly. The practice was non-compliant for failure to provide Prospective Record Access to new NHS App users by default and providing access to less than 90% of patient online accounts, which are both Step 3 and Step 4, respectively, of Prospective Record Access compliancy, as measure by NHS England.
Primary Care Digital Support Hub (PCDSH) Project Manager, Alex Mills, met with Practice Manager Ruth Barker and Assistant Practice Manager Fern Williamson to discuss and review the practices current position with Prospective Record Access, in addition to the utilisation of digital tools (Online Services, NHS App and Websites).
The practice was provided with PCDSH clinical system guides for Prospective Record Access, as they needed to enable the service for new NHS App users within their clinical system. The practice was also provided with a bulk enablement guide that would apply record access to eligible patient online accounts, which would hopefully increase the record access for online account to above 90%.
Throughout discussions, the practice expressed a desire to increase the promotion and patient utilisation of the NHS App.
With this in mind, Alex provide the practice with an earlier iteration of the now published PCDSH NHS App implementation plan. This is a knowledge document that includes guidance on how to promote the NHS App, actions to carry with the aim off take away any decision making in practice, and a checklist that practices can save and mark off their progress.
Our response
- Complete the Prospective Record Access PCDSH clinical system enablement guide.
- Complete the Prospective Record Access PCDSH clinical system bulk enablement guide.
- Complete NHS App Implementation Plan and promote the App to patients.
Outcomes
As a result of completing the PCDSH Prospective Record Access guides, Normanby Medical Centre was removed from the NHSE Prospective Record Access non-compliant dashboard the following month, August 2024.
The practices Prospective Record Access compliancy was:
Step 1 – Clinical System enabled for Prospective Record Access – Yes
Step 2 – Less than 10% of patients withheld access due to enhanced review (104 Code) – 5.45%
Step 3 – Prospective Record Access enabled for New NHS App users by default – Yes
Step 4 – Greater than 90% of patient online accounts provided with Prospective Record Access – 96.80%
The practice is reminded to complete the bulk enablement guide to ensure new patient online accounts are updated with record access, to maintain their 90% target within step 3 of compliancy.
In collaboration with promoting the NHS App to their patient population by following the PCDSH NHS App Implementation Plan, the practice has seen an increase in detail coded record views via the App as result of bulk enabling Prospective Record Access.
The following results have been obtained via the National NHS App Dashboard provided by NHS England:
- 3 month average prior to bulk enabling Prospective Record Access – 14,262pm
- 3 month average post bulk enabling Prospective Record Access – 25,818pm
This has resulted in an 81% increase of a 3 month average in record views with the NHS App.
“We work annually with the registration and arrival teams to make sure instructions on how register with a GP are provided pre-arrival for incoming students.
Upon arrival (registration week) in September we provide a health fair event that usually spans a week. During this event we invite external wellbeing stakeholders to host stalls for students to interact with, with the focus being on registering with a GP. Involve North East assisted us with this and provide points of contact on each day to help troubleshoot any registration queries. In the past we have also hired student workers to distribute GP registration promo cards around campus.
Once the initial registration week has finished, we work with the Student Life Team to prepare messaging for all registered students, encouraging them to register with a GP locally if they are now living in the area.
In January we provide a similar, yet smaller, level of GP registration support for an international arrival event, which supports our international student cohort.
Our messaging is repeated throughout the year via different newsletters and updates, and is replicated and shared by the social media teams, across campus-wide digital displays. We also have various pop-ups throughout the year at key footfall areas across campus.”