Agenda item

The Integrated Care Board submit a report to update the Commission on digital tools for patients and those supporting them.

 A representative from the ICB presented a report to update the Commission on the  Digital Tools available for patients and the NHS app: 

• The core functionality of the NHS app was increased. Patients were given full digital access to their GP records on the app. In Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland (LLR) only 8 GP practices do not have this feature, this was due to the nature of their services, but further access can be requested by registered patients.   

• Phase 1 of the integration brought University Hospitals of Leicester (UHL) services to the app so that patients can now manage, cancel and request bookings. It was noted that there was an average of over 250,000 views on the app per month. 

• Leicestershire Partnership Trust (LPT) integration to the NHS app was pending and was dependent on the outcome of a national pilot scheme into the connectivity of the app into extended clinical systems, such as mental health and community space.  

• Future ambitions for the service were detailed including patient initiated follow up, digital care plan management and two-way communication between patients and care teams. All of which was subject to national funding and the NHS app uplift which was being worked on. This was with the aim of making the app into a multi-faceted gateway tool for patients.   

• It was stressed that non digital methods were to remain supported so that nobody was left behind. The initiative pushed the two goals of maximizing online access for the 80% who are digitally enabled while continuing offline support for the 20%. There were over 60 digital inclusion hubs across LLR which are supported by the Good Things Foundation. The hubs were providing digital access, support and device recycling as part of their services. There was also an ambassador programme and public engagement events to promote digital services and support digitally excluded individuals.  

• It was highlighted that LPT was recently selected for the Vodaphone digital inclusion programme. They received 40 sim cards with contracts and data to assist homeless families, enabling them to keep in contact with support networks and NHS services.  

• The care record system, which was mentioned in a previous scrutiny meeting, allows for information sharing across health, social care and connected organisation. Some of the benefits of this system have been the accurate and timely sharing of information. There was also notable time savings in some areas, in social care there were some assessments that were completed 2 weeks earlier than before. Whilst surveys amongst staff have recorded up to a 30-minute reduction in time per log in, per person which was freeing up more time in the working week.  

Comments:  

• Members raised concerns about the impact of digitisation and fears that elements of the public will be digitally excluded from GP access. It was further suggested that this may result in a two-tier system of patient access to NHS services. The scarcity of digital inclusion hubs in rural areas of Leicestershire compared to the city was raised in support of this by members. It was highlighted that Harborough which makes up a quarter of the County only has 4 hubs while Melton has only 1. This is from a total of over 60 in the Leicestershire area. There was an openness from representatives of the LLR for further expansion of the hubs to provide coverage to more areas and they welcomed input and collaboration from local authorities.  

• The ad-hoc nature of GP digitisation was also touched on by members. The fact that GP practices have had to procure their own software has led to an inconsistent role out of digitisation across the board. In response, it was detailed that there was some shared learning, pilot schemes and talk of group procurement between some GP practices, facilitated by the ICB. However, it was noted that it is down to individual GP practices to get involved in these forums and projects, as they are their own individual businesses and the ICB cannot compel them to do so.  

• The functionality and user interface of the app was commented on by members. Members who had examined their medical records on the app detailed that there was no search function, meaning they had to manually sift through their medical records to find certain information. It was also noted that there were inconsistencies when it came to receiving notifications about appointments and test results. While elements of the app were praised it was suggested that over selling the app before it’s ready could discourage people from using it. In response it was stressed that the app is an ongoing national project and a logical step as more things in society were shifting to digital. There was recognition that the app was not as polished as it could be, but this was due to it not yet being the finished product.   

• The members were keen to find out about the usage of the app and if there was any recording of this data. It was advised that data was collected nationally and could be accessed locally as required. The NHS representatives stated that they were unsure if there was tracked frequency of usage, but they would be happy to investigate this. Regarding a subsequent question about the percentage of the LLR population who use the app it was advised that LLR has one of the highest usage rates.       

• The topic of data security was touched on, and questions were raised regarding what safeguards are in place to protect the information from bad actors. It was stated that LLR have a robust cyber security system in place and that work has been constantly done to ensure it is improved and developed. LLR also have had links with the Cyber Security Operations Centre (C-SOC) It was acknowledged that in these situations a hacker must only be lucky once and there would undoubtedly be disruptions. In such an event that were business continuity plans in place and constant training was taking place, with lessons learned during the Leicester City cyber incident being incorporated.    

• In response to questions about greater communication between patients and practices, the Chief Medical Officer for the ICB, flagged the new ‘You and Your GP’ system which was now implemented. There was now a link on every GP practice website where any patient could give feedback on the services provided by their local practice. It was encouraged that all members should help to promote this new service amongst their constituents.  

Agreed: 

The report was noted by the Commission.