Medbelle comments on NHS app plans
Digitalisation can provide a win-win for patients and hospitals, not just in the NHS but in the private healthcare sector as well
Written by PR & Communications Manager, Mr. Jack Cutforth
Published: Monday 19 December 2022
On Wednesday 31 August the NHS announced plans to allow patients to use the NHS app to book appointments, enabling them to shop around for hospitals with shorter waiting lists. This is a positive step towards greater digitalisation, and much more could be done to use technology in this way, according to Medbelle.
Commenting on the story, Dan Howcroft, Chief Medical Officer at Medbelle, said:
‘This is a positive example of how digitalisation can provide a win-win by improving patient experience while also providing efficiencies.
‘It isn’t just the NHS that can benefit from digitalisation - both public and private healthcare have been tentative in taking advantage of the benefits of technology, and patients everywhere are dealing with delays and additional stress as a result.
'Technology should facilitate care and support'
‘However, digitalisation should not simply be implemented in a piecemeal way to fix problems as they arise. Allowing patients to use an app to choose where they have surgery is a positive first step, but there are many ways in which a proper long-term strategy for digitalisation could do much more for patients.
‘Most importantly, technology must always be used in conjunction with more traditional human support for patients. At Medbelle, we have rebuilt and digitalised the patient care pathway from the ground up, but one of the most important aspects of our care remains the individual support every patient gets from their personal Patient Care Adviser. Technology should facilitate care and support, without replacing the human aspect of healthcare.’
