We’re excited to announce that we have been working closely with NHS Digital to enable online self-referrals to be made directly from NHS Choices to IAPT services, via iaptus.
NHS Choices is an online resource that helps patients to quickly locate local NHS services. Patients can find their local IAPT service on the NHS Choices website by simply entering their postcode. The latest development now enables patients to see whether the service accepts self-referrals online. If they do, a button is enabled, providing access to the service’s self-referral form. Patients can complete and submit the form, automatically creating a new referral within iaptus. The service then receives an alert, enabling a team member to accept or reject the referral and arrange a first appointment.
Online self-referrals are a simple and convenient way for patients to access services. As such, more and more services are working with us to integrate iaptus self-referral forms with their website.
A seamless connection between NHS choices and NHS IAPT services is a significant step forwards in improving patient experience for those reaching out for support, and we are very proud to have worked with the team at NHS Digital on this exciting new project. Enabling patients to refer themselves directly from NHS Choices is particularly significant for those who would prefer not to speak to their GP or to administrative staff in person.
“The drive behind this project was to remove some of the barriers for people in accessing services and to make the whole process more convenient for patients,” says Nicola Gill, Product Lead for Mental Health at NHS Choices. “Patients can now refer themselves for treatment directly from NHS Choices to many local IAPT services, without needing to speak to a GP. This is not only a matter of convenience, but also of patient empowerment and giving people control of their own health and wellbeing.”
Chris Eldridge, Mayden’s Director of Operations explains, “At Mayden, we focus on creating technology that improves the way healthcare is delivered by staff and experienced by patients. We believe that our work with NHS Digital does just that, by relieving some of the administrative burden that services face, and by providing increased choice and convenience in how patients access services.”
If you are an iaptus customer and already use the iaptus self-referral module, you needn’t do anything to benefit from this new opportunity; your self-referral form will automatically be available via NHS choices. However, if you would like to find out more about adding iaptus self-referrals to your service’s website, please contact your account manager for more information.
