Our partner, Advanced, spoke with Kayleigh Harrison, Head of Informatics, Performance and Projects at Lancaster Medical Practice in Lancashire, about their experiences of using Patchs:
Why did you choose Patchs?
We chose Patchs as a practices for a few different reasons. 1) the development plan that you had for the system 2) The online consultation element of the system we really liked and looked easy to use from both a patient and practice perspective 3) Costs – there were no additional costs associated with the system that you needed to buy to fully utilise the system
What issues were you trying to resolve/improve?
A simplified online consultation system that did more than just let a patient submit a form
What do you like most about Patchs?
That the system is stand alone and you can do lots of different things from it and also integrates with Emis so updates patients records
How do staff rate Patchs?
The staff love Patchs now they have got used to it. That isn’t a criticism of Patchs more about staff not liking change and getting used to a new system
How do patients rate Patchs?
Patients are also really enjoying Patchs. They find submitting an online consult a lot easy than our last system. We also discussed it with our PPG and they all had positive comments to say
What outcomes has your organisation achieved since adopting Patchs?
A more streamlined approach for online consultations and a better way of messaging patients which links to their online consultations. We have been using online consult already for two years so have already seen the above improvements in your examples above
Would you recommend Patchs and why?
Yes. Both staff and patients like it. The system is constantly being developed and you are happy to take suggestions. It hasn’t always been plain sailing but when we have had issues they have been sorted quickly and everyone is always happy to help.
If you could offer some advice/hints on tips on Patchs what would they be?
It is quite painful at the beginning trying to get patients to set up accounts and to understand that the links in the messages are safe but once they do get used to it and you ensure you are doing regular comms it quickly calms down and patients enjoy using the system. Have a protocol for setting up text templates or staff will go rogue and set up their own that potentially aren’t right. Keep making suggestions as they do get listened to.