Lakeside patients in Corby, Brigstock, Oundle, and Kettering to access GP services using new 'simple' system

Patients of one the England’s largest GP-led super-practices face a new way of contacting their doctor with the introduction of a new system next week.

People who use the Lakeside Surgeries in Kettering, Corby, Oundle and Brigstock have been asked to register for the ‘Anima’ consultation portal.

The system replaces previous platforms, but there will be a six-day period when the old on-line portal has been switched off and the new one yet to go live.

During the move, patients have been asked to contact their surgery by calling or visiting in person.

Mandy Black, area manager for Northamptonshire Lakeside Healthcare said: “More than 2,000 of our patients have already registered for Anima. I encourage all of our patients to create an account so they can contact us online, when it opens, to let us know about the symptoms they are having, ask questions, and follow up with us.”

In Corby, patients of Lakeside Surgeries Corby will see Anima, the new online consultation platform replace eConsult. The process beginning with the closure of eConsult on Wednesday, January 31. Anima will open on Wednesday, February 7.

In Kettering patients at Headlands Surgery, will see their eConsult service close on Tuesday, January 30, with Anima opening on Tuesday, February 6.

Dr Adeel Iqbal, GP partner and non-executive director at Lakeside Headlands, said: “A number of our patients have signed up for Anima already. They are all set to contact us online when it opens. They can tell us about the symptoms they are having, ask questions, and follow up on things. I encourage all of our patients to create an account.”

Lakeside Healthcare at Oundle will soon replace their current online system ‘Doctrin’. Doctrin will close on Tuesday, January 30 with Anima opening on Tuesday, February 6.

Dr. Sabine Lijesen, non-executive director at Lakeside Healthcare at Oundle, said: "A large number of our patients have taken the step to create an Anima account. They are ready to use it once it opens. This means they can contact us online to share information about their symptoms, ask questions, and follow up on their healthcare needs. I strongly urge all patients who can to create their own account.”

During the move, from the closure of the current system until Anima opens, patients can contact their surgery by calling or visiting in person.

Lakeside says their surgeries will be working ‘thoroughly’ to complete all patient requests made through the eConsult and Doctrin systems. Patients with an open request need not take any action –their surgery will contact them directly.

Anima is already in use in over 170 GP practices and by nearly 489,000 patients across the country. Patients can use the ‘secure and confidential’ platform instead of calling or visiting surgeries in person.

A spokesman for Lakeside Healthcare said: “It is straightforward to use. Patients can fill out an online form to let their surgery know about their symptoms, ask questions, or follow up on something. The surgery will use this information to prioritise each online form based on urgency and need, ensuring that patients get the right care at the right time.

“Patients can easily track the progress of their online form and receive updates by email. Anima is also user-friendly, especially for patients with hearing difficulties or those whose first language is not English.

“While the patient experience may feel a bit different, the overall process with Anima is mostly unchanged compared to eConsult (or Doctrin). Patients will access Anima by clicking on the option on the website, which will replace the eConsult (Doctrin) button.”

To use the online form, patients will follow some ‘simple’ on-screen instructions, answering multiple-choice questions similar to those a doctor might ask during an appointment.

The spokesman added: “The more information a patient can provide, the better the surgery can assess symptoms and offer appropriate advice, treatment, or further assessment. If a patient needs to be seen by a doctor or other healthcare professional, then an appointment will be arranged.

People who use current systems must create a new account with Anima for continued online access to their surgery. If patients already have an NHS login, they can use the same details. Otherwise, they can create an account with their email address. All are encouraged to create an Anima account before it opens.

For more information about Corby and Brigstock go to www.thelakesidesurgery.co.uk/news/anima , for Headlands go to www.headlandssurgery.co.uk/news/anima, for Oundle go to www.oundlesurgery.nhs.uk/news/anima.