How NHSmail is improving communications for one GP practice
Marion Brown is Practice Manager at The Town Surgery in Enfield, North London. Like all Practice Managers, it's Marion's job to run the business side of the GP surgery – everything from staffing, finance, and record keeping to ensuring that the premises and equipment are all up to scratch.
Here Marion explains why NHSmail is such an important tool to helping her run the practice...
I'm the Practice Manager at a single-handed PMS (Personal Medical Services) practice. With one GP, a part-time Practice Nurse and our part-time receptionists, together we look after 3,000 patients in Enfield.
I first started using NHSmail in 2006 and since that time it has really helped me carry out my job. NHSmail has made me more productive. Why? Because it saves me time - and time is precious.
It's simple tasks - such as when I have to order items such as medical or office supplies - that make NHSmail such an important tool. Not only does it save time, but it has also reduced our costs in terms of phone calls, stationery and postage.
What's also great is that I can use any computer to receive and send emails and data. Before, I could only use one computer and had to be at my desk. Also the server at the PCT (Primary Care Trust) would overload and not be available at all times.
But using NHSmail is not just about saving time and resources. It also helps to speed up and improve patient care. I'm able to quickly and securely send patient data online rather than make phone calls or send information through the post. For instance, I use NHSmail to send a list of diabetic patients to the co-ordinator at the hospital as part of the Shared Care Programme.
As NHSmail is fully secure it reduces the need for sending information by post or fax, which could lead to the data being lost or misdirected. Also the details are sent as a downloadable file that the co-ordinator can use without having to enter the patient's details manually. This speeds up the process and cuts out the possibility of data being entered incorrectly. By doing it this way, it eliminates reasons why things can go wrong and potentially hold up treatment. In this regard, NHSmail is more secure than other forms of communication.
I'm using NHSmail more and more each day and find it a very useful tool. I've been asked whether I could do my job without NHSmail? Yes, I could. I could survive...but it would be a backwards step. NHSmail saves me time and improves efficiency. I wouldn't go back now. I wouldn't want to.