100th Practice Signs Up for SystmOnline

TPP's new online service, SystmOnline, was launched at the beginning of October. At the end of its first month, more than 100 practices had signed up for it, that's one in eight of all SystmOne practices.

SystmOnline is an in-built feature of SystmOne that allows existing patients to manage appointments, order repeat prescriptions and change contact details, and enables new patients to self-register on the internet. Use of this service is free of charge to both practices and patients.

The 100th practice to sign up for SystmOnline is Dr. Scott, Stanworth, Glover & Brook at Kingswood Surgery in Harrogate, North Yorkshire & York PCT, which went live on SystmOne GP on November 7th. Practice Manager, Annita Langley, says they want to use SystmOnline because, "It's sometimes difficult for patients to ring the surgery during working hours, so this gives them another way of accessing appointments and other services. It also saves time in the surgery because patients won't be ringing in. Our Go Live on Friday went exceptionally well so we'll start advertising the online service to our patients through our practice leaflet just as soon as we're all settled on SystmOne."

Tom Hardy, a TPP Clinical Systems Analyst, says, "SystmOnline is proving very popular; one hundred practices in the first month is great news. I'm glad everyone is picking it up and using it, it goes to show that we are developing the system in line with what our customers want. The feedback we've had from them has been very positive - people like how simple it is to use, and how easy it is to customise. Some practices just want appointment booking, some want repeat prescription requesting, and the system is so flexible, they can set it up to suit themselves."

New innovations to the SystmOnline service since its launch include the ability to activate an 'Ask a Question' function, which allows patients to type in a question and submit it to the practice, and development of a 'Patient Self-Input' touch-screen which practices will be able to set up in their waiting area. The Self-Input screen allows patients to log in with their SystmOnline username and password and manage their appointments and repeat prescriptions from there - useful if patients don't have access to the internet at home, or there are long queues at reception.