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There are several different online platforms that general practices can use. Overall, digital health services are being developed to support the functions of the NHS. All people registered at a general practice should be able to use some online services based on the NHS Big Plan.

We chose to focus on how to use eConsult in our project because it is the online platform in use at Montpelier Health Centre in Bristol. The group of people we worked with on the project attend an Elders group at the Malcolm X Centre in St Pauls, Bristol and Montpelier Health Centre is one of the main GPs in the area. This does not mean we endorse the use of eConsult or think it is a better system than others.

If you would like to see similar materials develop for other digital healthcare platforms, leave us a comment below!

You can find out more about eConsult here.

Online platforms are great when they work without problems.

However, you may find that eConsult isn’t always open for new consultations. There can also be differences in how general practices use eConsult. Some practices only have the platform open when the practice itself is open. This means that on bank holidays or weekends, you may not be able to use eConsult.

Some practices also close eConsult once they have received the maximum number of consultations for each day.

 

If you are requesting an appointment, remember to provide all the relevant information. If you don’t answer all the questions or your answers don’t give a clear idea of what your symptoms are, the platform may automatically ask you to call your surgery instead.

Remember that eConsult is not an instant service and is not suitable for emergencies.

This video shows how to request a sick note or a prescription using eConsult. You can also follow these steps to request a letter from your GP.

This video was put together by our collaborator MTrain Academy, which is part of JobnetworkBristol CIC.

You can also use eConsult to request help for other people such as children.

This video shows how to get started with children’s health problems.

This video was put together by our collaborator MTrain Academy, which is part of JobnetworkBristol CIC.

This video guide shows some of the different steps for requesting a GP appointment for surgeries that use eConsult.

You can start the process on your surgery website or use the eConsult webpage to search for your practice as shown on the video.

The process is similar to the conversation you might have over the phone with a receptionist but also combines some questions that you might be asked during your GP consultation.

This video was put together by our collaborator Mlab.  We also developed our video series with to Mtrain Academy, which is part of JobnetworkBristol CIC.

This video shows what different options for self-help are available online through an eConsult platform:

The video was made by our collaborators at MTrain Academy, part of JobnetworkBristol CIC.

Hello!

This blog includes material from a University of Bristol public engagement project aiming to broaden access to digital health services especially for people aged 55+.

You can view some of the guidance videos our collaborators have put together by clicking on the different blog posts. We’re always looking for ways to improve this material so feel free to leave a comment below and let us know what you think!