The NHS mantra should be: “Every patient needs a barcode”. That was the thought outlined by Tim Kelsey, NHS England’s National Director for Patients and Information and Chair of the National Information Board, as he opened last week’s Health and Care Innovation Expo 2015 conference in Manchester. He told delegates: “Hospitals across the country are…

NHS England’s Five Year Forward View recognises the potential benefits of GP practices working together with neighbouring practices, community hospitals and other providers to support efficient service delivery at a local level. New GP Federations are being established right across the country, bringing both opportunities and new challenges for practice managers. Much of the initial…

More than 90% of the UK population use a mobile and over 60% use a smart phone according to Ofcom. Using digital communications means you can easily check the health status of patients for smoking and automate responses back into the patient’s record. You can give your patients greater access and choice allowing them to get the information…

Technology and medicine have always been intrinsically linked, whether for X-ray machines, lab equipment or for other diagnostic and treatment aids. However, one application of technology in medicine is often overlooked or ignored, leading to practice managers relying on stagnant methodology when it comes to managing a practice. There are a great many benefits of…

Apps for running your life more efficiently, healthily, meditatively, actively – you name it – are becoming the most popular types of tech downloads as we move into 2015. And in this organised month of resolutions and forward-planning, what better time than now to take a look at what’s on offer out there? A productivity…

Your practice may already offer patients the chance to manage appointments online or reserve prescriptions, but do you use Search Engine Optimisation? In other words, are you searchable and visible on the internet? Can potential new patients find you, or will they find a competitor first? Here are three top tips for improving your practice’s…

Whether you’re preparing letters or writing handbooks and policies for the practice, it’s likely that you do a lot of your week’s work in Microsoft Word. Sometimes the programs we’re most used to are the ones we’re less inclined to learn new tricks for, and the chances are you’re spending valuable time missing out on…