The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is introducing a Patient Portal (The Portal) to give patients more control over their hospital care.
What is the Patient Portal?
The patient portal will give patients access to their health information anytime, from anywhere, ensuring that all patients receive the best possible support and treatment. It serves as a hub for patients to view their appointments, make alterations if needed, and access helpful health information. The portal is designed to empower patients and place them at the forefront of their healthcare journey, making healthcare more personalised, convenient, and effective for all involved.
In collaboration with DrDoctor – who provides this portal for our Trust – patients can access the portal via a web page accessible on a mobile phone, PC, or tablet. Alternatively, patients can log into the NHS app to use the portal.
The portal is being introduced to patients over a period of time – you will be notified directly once your service is enrolled and will continue to receive paper letters in the meantime.
Over time, new and improved features will be added, providing more options for patients. Information around what the portal can do will be updated as it is rolled out.
What can I do on the Patient Portal?
Once the service has been rolled out across all departments, patients will receive a text message or email notification with a link to the portal After clicking the link, patients will be required to confirm their surname, date of birth and post code prior to viewing any of their personal information.
Once registered, patients will be able to:
- View and manage their outpatient appointments.
- Receive and store copies of letters from the hospital about their care.
We’ve created a list of frequently asked questions below for any queries
FAQs
- How do I access the Portal?
- Do I have to use the Portal?
- Can I still access the portal if I don't have a mobile phone number?
- Does the portal intergrate with the NHS App?
- I don’t want to use the Portal; will my hospital still be able to communicate with me?
- Is my information secure?
- How will I find out when new features have been added to the Portal?
1. How do I access the Portal?
In time, anyone receiving outpatient care will be able to access the portal. We will send a text message with a secure link to the portal.
All you need to do is follow the secure link in the text message and login with your surname, date of birth and postcode.
If your contact details have changed please let us know the next time you are in hospital. This will ensure that you benefit from all the Patient Portal features.
2. Do I have to use the Portal?
No, the portal is an entirely optional service.
You can continue to receive your outpatient information via paper letters if you so wish. You can opt out of the portal at any point, by changing your preferences in the portal by switching on or off next to your phone number or email, or alternatively, you can let a member of the team know when you come in for your appointment.
If you have previously told us that you do not want to be contacted by text, you will receive paper communication.
3. Can I still access the portal if I don’t have a mobile phone number?
You cannot currently set up a login without a mobile phone.
4. Does the Portal integrate with the NHS App?
The portal will integrate with the NHS app in future. More information about this will be communicated at the time.
Once live, the NHS app will show any outpatient appointments you have at the hospital that already appear on the DrDoctor portal. The benefit of using the app alongside DrDoctor is that you will be able to view all your healthcare appointments (with other Trusts who are using the app) in one place.
If you have switched off the notifications from DrDoctor, your appointments will still show on the NHS app when you download it.
5. I don’t want to use the Portal; will my hospital still be able to communicate with me?
If you do not wish to use the portal, any appointment letters that are sent to you digitally will automatically be printed and sent to you if they are not accessed within 3 days of receiving them.
6. Is my information secure?
All information is held securely and cannot be accessed without the correct login details, similar to internet banking.
To enable us to deliver this service, DrDoctor will have access to your contact information but not to detailed information about your health.
DrDoctor is accredited to the highest standards set by the NHS for protecting the healthcare information of UK citizens. More information can be found inDrDoctor’s privacy policy.
The patient portal is already being successfully used in several other NHS Trusts.
7. How will I find out when new features have been added to the Portal?
The portal currently will provide access to viewing and managing your outpatient appointments and receiving digital copies of your appointment letters. More functionalities will be rolled out over the coming months which will include:
- Receiving direct messages from the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust clinicians or secretarial support.
- Complete clinical questionnaires and assessments prior to appointments.
- View test results.
