Healthcare Group is the latest practice group to go down this route.
Its system goes live today. Patients will be able to book appointments at all four of Healthcare Group’s surgeries – Cobo, St Martins, Rohais and High Street.
The launch of online booking comes after the Medicus electronic patient record system was introduced across the island, and in Alderney in June, and is part of a series of digital improvements by Healthcare Group designed to make accessing healthcare simpler and more convenient for patients.
‘This is a major milestone in our move to a more modern, efficient, and patient-focused way of working,’ said Dr Ed Partridge.
‘We’ll be expanding online booking in due course and exploring other ways to use the new Medicus system to make everyday healthcare easier for our patients, and more efficient for our teams.
‘Since Medicus launched, we’ve already seen a significant reduction in administrative pressures and a noticeable improvement in patient experience, and this is just the start.’
Initially, online booking for Healthcare Group patients will be available for standard GP appointments only, with the calendar open for September appointments onwards.
The practice plans to expand the types of appointments available to book online over the coming months.
‘We wanted to give patients more choice in how they book appointments. Many people prefer the convenience of booking appointments online at a time that suits them, without needing to make a phone call.
‘It will also help us work more efficiently,’ said Dr Partridge.
‘This is an important step forward in making healthcare more accessible and convenient.
‘Many people are used to booking services online in other areas of life, and now we can offer the same flexibility for GP appointments.’
IslandHealth, which operates practices at L’Aumone, St Sampson’s and in Town, also uses the Medicus system and ‘soft launched’ online booking two weeks ago.
‘We’re committed to making healthcare more accessible and user-friendly for our community.
‘This soft launch will give us valuable insights to ensure the new system works seamlessly before we extend it to all patients,’ said practice chairman Dr Michael Long.
Queen’s Road Medical Practice – which has the Grange and Longfrie surgeries – has been approached for comment.
Its website states that appointments have to be made over the phone, but online booking should be ‘coming soon’.
You need to be logged in to comment. If you had an account on our previous site, you can migrate your old account and comment profile to this site by visiting this page and entering the email address for your old account. We'll then send you an email with a link to follow to complete the process.