Background and Challenge
NHS Morecambe Bay Clinical Commissioning Group (Morecambe Bay CCG), as all organisations throughout the NHS, is facing intense pressure to reduce costs.
“We remain challenged by a gap in the funding that we need to deliver a high quality and safe range of services and of historic underfunding that continues to stretch our local resources” Morecambe Bay CCG, Annual Report 2018-2019
Therefore, ensuring cost savings and delivering efficiencies are at the forefront of the organisation’s agenda.
A specific concern was the high cost of texts incurred by GP practices when reminding patients about their appointments. On behalf of Morecambe Bay CCG, Dr Tim Reynard, local GP and Joint Chief Clinical Information Officer instigated the search for a more cost-effective solution for appointment management.
Response
After a procurement exercise, myGP, developed by iPLATO, was chosen as the most effective solution. myGP is a smartphone app which allows patients to securely book and / or cancel appointments, track their health and manage and order their repeat medications. Following the decision to roll out myGP across Morecambe Bay an SMS marketing campaign was delivered to encourage patients to download and use the app. This campaign was managed and facilitated by iPLATO’s dedicated communications team.
Outcomes
Over 46,000 registered patients have signed up to use myGP confirming that registration is quick and easy. Due to this uptake, 18% of messages between practices and patients incur no cost due to them being sent by data and being received through the app, thus allowing savings to be reinvested and delivering value for money, specifically:
- Due to the success in up take across Morecambe Bay, the myGP app has now been rolled-out across Lancashire and South Cumbria STP and its 1.8 million patients.
- Digital technology and managing spend are key objectives of the Lancashire and South Cumbria STP, and already trials are in place for video consultations and remote patient monitoring to free up face-to-face appointments.
- Looking to go live with myGP functionality which facilitates remote biometric monitoring such as blood pressure and weight which allows the patient to submit their readings for review by their GP.
“We have a great partnership with iPLATO, they are not only solving todays challenges but also tomorrows” Dr Tim Reynard, local GP and Joint Chief Clinical Information Officer of Morecambe Bay CCG