Dear Editor
Surgeries in our area are expressing some concerns over the proposed Digital Access to Healthcare initiative that will likely be adopted not only for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough but also for eventually the rest of the country. Whilst the draft proposals (initially aired late last year) insist that patients will still be able to contact their local surgery or hospital by phone or in person many people already find such contact difficult. The proposals will ultimately mean you will not be able just to book a GP appointment or attend A&E as is the case at present but instead it is likely that you will be sent to a pharmacy or to an NHS website without any interaction with a nurse or doctor.
There will, of course, be those who see this move towards an NHS Digital age as a benefit and embrace the changes with optimism but we must not, at the same time, forget those elderly patients who are not IT savvy or those who through disability already find accessing modern technology difficult. The cost of the new system is estimated at around £10 million but one could be forgiven for taking a cynical view of this budget. The last time the NHS tried to introduce a major integrated IT system it cost many times this amount and still we have a situation where many hospitals cannot access their patients records. In January 2013 the BBC (amongst many others) reported on the ‘The NHS’s Troubled Relationship with Technology’ so any new proposals hardly fill one with a great deal of confidence.
Making Our Case for Retaining GP Practices
Coming in under that radar is a government policy that will have far reaching effects on the way we access health care in the future. The proposed policy is called Improving ‘Digital Access to Healthcare’. Should these proposals be enacted (which is more than likely) it will mean rather than going straight to A&E or calling your local GP practice for an appointment you will need to login into a digital platform which will tell you where to go. This means you might be sent to a pharmacy or an NHS website without the ability to speak to a nurse or a doctor. In turn this will mean your health record will need to be shared with a much wider forum than is currently the case. It is more likely that those who will deal with your medical condition may well be using artificial intelligence (AI) to give advice on your health issues. It is difficult to see how more elderly patients or indeed those with learning disabilities will be able to access the help they need. Patients who don’t have WiFi, smartphones or computer skills will find accessing the help they need extremely difficult not to mention those with poor vision.
Local Patients Participation Groups are keenly aware of concerns doctors in their surgeries have about the proposed new practices. Indeed, one has gone as far as to say it could be the end of the family doctor service on the NHS. Similarly, we should be mindful of the fact that our rights to attend hospital in an emergency is under threat.
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS survey is seeking your views on the plans for digital access. Whilst there may well be some who welcome the changes proposed there will no doubt be many who will find integrating with the new service exceptionally difficult. If you feel strongly about your right to access either your local practice or hospital in a way and at times of your choosing then please think about completing the survey that can be found at www.healthwatchcambridgeshire.co.uk/form/improving-digital-access-to-healthcare. The preliminary comments suggest that direct access to the surgery staff will still be available, but it is not clear how this will work given statements relating to the overall policy on ‘Digital Access’.
It will also be important that for those friends or family members who are not familiar with IT or cannot access the survey themselves that they are able to have their say on these new policies and practices. Remember these proposals will affect everyone from cradle to grave.
Bernard Kane
Barnack Resident
