Lakeside Oundle digital GP consultation app may transform how healthcare is delivered

A new online method for patients accessing their GP services has been given a more than 90 per cent approval rating by patients at an Oundle surgery.

Lakeside Healthcare Oundle - part of the giant GP Lakeside Healthcare Partnership - has been using an online consultation platform called Doctrin,

A recent customer satisfaction survey report found that 90 per cent of those surveyed would be 'happy' to recommend it to others.

Lakeside’s project manager, Justin Wilkinson, said: "We have been delighted with the feedback from patients at Oundle and hope to build on this in the coming months.

"It gives them more choice as to how and when to get in touch and we expect that demand and usage will grow as more patients sign up and try it for themselves."

Lakeside Surgery at Oundle is the first practice in the UK to roll out Doctrin, which is already Sweden’s leading business to business platform for digital healthcare.

Developed for the UK market, it can be accessed via mobile and digital devices.

Patients use their NHS log in registration details to access the service, Doctrin then assesses what sort of help patients need using a series of questions and rating scales.

The information is then sent 'safely and securely' to the GP practice team.

So far several hundred of the Oundle practise's patients have accessed the platform, which is open 24/7, with GPs, nurses, pharmacists, administrators, secretarial and reception teams responding during normal surgery hours.

Lakeside’s chief medical officer and GP partner, Dr Miles Langdon, said: "Doctrin is easy to use and navigate and we have been hugely impressed, both with the ease of the system and the support we have had from the company itself.

"Its first month of operation at Oundle has been incredibly positive. This has provided easier and more convenient access for those patients who can and want to use a digital platform, while enabling better phone access for those that can’t use digital technology."

Of those surveyed 92.3 per cent of the users said that they had 'sufficient information' from Doctrin.

Craig Oates, Doctrin’s managing director, UK and Ireland, said: "We are both delighted, and excited, to partner with Lakeside Healthcare and work together to radically transform how healthcare is delivered.

"General ­­Practice in the UK is facing unprecedented demand for its services with an ageing and increasingly complex patient population. We’re happy to provide the next generation of online health solutions which simplifies care navigation and management."