Would healthcare services be continuing a digital revolution trajectory if we hadn’t been hit by a global pandemic? Would e-consultations and video consultations have seen such a surge in use? And why did it take a pandemic to introduce significant changes to the way general practice uses technology? For a lot of people working in…

The NHS Long Term Plan, published in January 2019, commits to every patient having the right to be offered digital-first primary care by 2023/24. The various commitments that make up this plan have been introduced gradually every year through the GP Contract since 2019/20, which means GP practices should, among other new requirements, now offer an…

  Technology is specifically designed to help make life easier. This applies to healthcare as much as any area of life, but is the new NHS App – rolled out across the country last year – a good example of such technology and a good use of NHS resources? The NHS App, which is slowly…

Talk of GP burnout is never far from the headlines. Talk of more than half of GPs looking to leave the profession, many citing problems with workload and burnout, dominate the media. Stats back up the fact that burnout is a big problem too. Incredibly, more than a thousand GPs sought professional help from the…

As we’ve discussed before on the Practice Index Blog, GP practices are increasingly having to think like businesses. That means focusing on return on investment, cutting costs and, crucially, looking for additional income streams. Revenue generation comes in many forms – but it’s only effective if you get paid for it – which brings us nicely…

Text messaging between practices and patients can improve care and reduce patient visits, according to an Irish study published today. Researchers found practices in south-west Ireland using texting for a range of purposes, including the reporting of test results. It is now used by many UK practices for appointment reminders – but the Irish researchers…

Paper or digital? When it comes to patient communication it’s a debate that’s often heard. What’s more effective? Which method offers better value? Which is least time consuming for practice staff? This topic was recently raised on the Practice Index Forum – where some excellent points of view were put forward. And, unsurprisingly, some practice…