NHS e-Referral Service Patient
Mike Hitchen
Patient, Malago Surgery, Bedminster, Bristol
Using the internet to manage
your healthcare is becoming
easier and more convenient.
Bristol patient, Mike
Hitchens, explains how he is
using on-line services book
his first outpatient
appointment, using the
NHS e-Referral Service.
Mike Hitchens, 46, of
Bedminster, is a patient of the
Malago Surgery in Bristol and
works from home as a
Computer Engineer.
Using eRS, patients can
apply their right to choose
from a list of hospitals
(previously agreed with their
GP or other referring
clinician), and then select and
book an appointment at a
date and time that is
convenient for them.
Forty six year old Mike went
to visit his local GP with a
skin problem and was told
that he could use eRS to
arrange an appointment to
see a specialist at his
convenience.
“The NHS e-Referral Service
is a radical improvement on
the old paper system”, says
Mike. “As a busy
professional, I need to
manage my time carefully.
eRS made it so much easier
to book an appointment and
made sure that I got one that
fitted in well with my busy
schedule”.
“After my GP had examined
me, she suggested that I
needed treatment at a
dermatology clinic. Although I
could have booked my
appointment whilst at the GP
surgery, I decided to wait until
I went home so that I could
look at my work commitments
before making a decision. I
wanted to make sure that my
appointment didn’t clash with
any important work trips or
meetings” says Mike.
The following day, Mike
accessed the online eRS and
booked his outpatient
appointment.
Mike found using eRS was
very simple. He said “I just
used my booking reference
number and password to log
onto the system and was
given a list of available times
and dates at the dermatitis
clinic at the nearby Bristol
Royal Infirmary. I made a
quick check against my work
diary and picked an
appointment which suited
me”.
This was Mike’s first
experience of eRS as
previous referrals had been
NHS e-Referral Service Patient
made using the paper-based
system.
“I already use the internet to
order my repeat prescriptions,
as well as for shopping and
travel arrangements, so,
being able to book my
hospital appointment on-line,
and record and track my
personal health information
too, is really excellent”.
Please note that the above case study
originally referenced Choose & Book
but has been updated to an e-RS case
study as the functionality and processes
are exactly the same.