PATIENTS in Berkshire have been given a new service to help them handle their healthcare.
Royal Berkshire Hospital has launched a new patient portal which will help users to manage services and documentation in a single, handy point of contact.
The new portal is accessible online via smartphone or PC, or any “smart” device, at any time.
Patients will be able to access medical letters and certain documents, including some test results which are appropriate for the platform, as well as personal health information.
Maternity users, pre-operative patients, and gastroenterology patients will be able to submit health forms and questionnaires ahead of their treatment to save time.
Ear, nose, and throat and rheumatology outpatients will have access to appointment details as well as tools to edit or amend them.
It is the latest in a series of initiatives introduced by the Royal Berkshire NHS Trust to improve patient care.
Further services will include the roll-out of the Careaware Connect in March, which will provide further out of hours advice for patients.
Check-in booths have also been installed around the hospital to help digitise and simplify the process of checking in.
Victoria Peters, Project Manager, said, “We are always looking at how we can use new technology to improve how we work with patients to make the hospital experience even better.
“As well as the services we are rolling out from day one, we are also working with other departments across the Trust to extend the access patients have to their information even further over the next few months.
“We’re excited to offer a new secure patient portal, giving our patients direct access to their medical information and appointments. Outpatients with an upcoming appointment will receive an SMS text message to invite them to join up.”
Full details about the Royal Berkshire NHS Trust portal are available via: royalberkshire.nhs.uk