The UK’s Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation has partnered with London-based patient engagement platform DrDoctor in a bid to stave off the oncoming winter surge using a patient portal available on any phone.

DrDoctor’s app is designed to allow patients to be able to see and manage their appointments, letters and care notes in a single place with the goal of being integrated into the hospital trust’s computer system to give patients immediate hospital information.

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has committed to extending the use of DrDoctor’s technology to give patients more control over their hospital experience with the first phase of the app’s roll-out including the ability to directly message care teams, change and cancel appointments and make use of a digital patient initiated follow up (PIFU) service.  The second phase of the rollout will allow patients to book appointments at times that suit them using a partial booking system.

Theresa Barnes, clinical lead for the patient engagement portal system said: “As a Trust, we are always looking for ways to improve the experience of our patients and this important step toward digital transformation will make it more convenient for them to access their hospital appointments and health information in a single place.”

The launch will come in part accessible through the UK National Health Service’s (NHS) app which itself has seen a significant drive and investment from the UK government following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. In one of its most recent updates the app intends to provide real-time updates on prescription status to users.

Nick Barlow, Executive Director of Transformation at DrDoctor said: “Our technology is designed to fundamentally improve the way patients access and engage with their care, whilst supporting Trusts to increase efficiency, and productivity throughout the patient journey.

“With ambitious plans to continue enhancing this partnership through a phased rollout of advanced functionality, from direct messaging to automated appointment rescheduling, we’re passionate about delivering a seamless experience for patients and service users along their care journey - all while strengthening our support for our NHS to deliver hybrid healthcare”.

Previously the UK government has called for greater data sharing across the UK health ecosystem with Lord James O’Shaughnessy, the former health minister, calling real-time data sharing on commercial clinical activity in the UK at a June conference.