Online healthcare portal helps thousands in Essex
Patients of Mid and South Essex hospitals are encouraged to sign up to a secure online portal that will help them access information and test results.
It's called Patient Know Best and allows users to see upcoming appointments, discharge letters, and reports from recent scans or X-rays.
200,000 patients have already registered to the secure site which can be viewed through any internet-enabled device, such as a smartphone, or via the nationally popular NHS App.
It is available to patients treated at hospitals run by Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, alongside some other hospital Trusts.
Sarah has used the portal as a patient at Broomfield Hospital, part of the Trust, and said: “I can’t express how much of a difference PKB has made.
"It supported me when I received cancer treatment in London and is now helping me as I’m pregnant after IVF and under Broomfield Hospital’s maternity care.”
Appointment details are the most popular feature on the portal, and more information is set to be added, including more hospital test results and online questionnaires for patients after they have had their appointment.
This will ensure clinical teams can track patients' recovery, give more effective treatment and avoid unnecessary visits to hospital.
Zephan Trent, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer at the Trust, said: “Online access to key clinical information, including a growing list of test results and appointment details, will save time and put control of patients’ healthcare in their hands, meaning they don’t have to wait for a letter to arrive in the post.
"I encourage others to start using the tool.”
Find out more about PKB and how to register for free at the Trust’s website here.