GPs ‘putting patients at risk’ by insisting they get care online or via NHS app, report warns
Doctors are putting patients at risk by insisting they receive care online or via the NHS app, a damning report found today.
GP practices are increasingly using digital forms to manage the demand for personal appointments.
But the poorly designed sites fail to collect the information staff need to triage and diagnose patients, the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) found.
This has led to potentially deadly delays in identifying diseases, the report says, and damaged the doctor-patient relationship.
Furthermore, the push for a ‘digital-first’ NHS is putting off older people, with patients describing feeling ‘frustrated’, ‘humiliated’ and ‘embarrassed’ when asked to submit symptoms via online forms.
Pictured is the NHS app on a mobile phone screen (file image)
A woman has an appointment with a doctor via video call (stock image)
There are fears that this could lead to them downplaying matters they may have personally revealed.
Doctors admit that the lack of face-to-face interaction can cause them to miss important signals.
The requirement to have a computer or smartphone to access digital services means the ‘modern’ way of working is fuelling inequality, they added.
The HSSIB report found that while online tools can be useful for GPs and patients, they have ‘contributed to a number of patient safety incidents’.
The 59-page report highlights the case of a patient who required complex surgery because the use of online tools delayed the diagnosis of his cancer.
Nick Woodier, senior security researcher at the HSSIB, said: ‘The future of healthcare includes technology that can deliver care, but this must be done with an acknowledgement of the security risks.’
A doctor is having a video call with a patient while sitting in his office (stock image)
An estimated 30.8 million appointments were recorded by GP booking systems in May. Of these, approximately 19.8 million were completed face-to-face, 7.8 million by telephone and 1.4 million online or via video.
Dennis Reed, director of Silver Voices, an organisation that advocates for people aged 60 and over, said: ‘This official safety report confirms the safety concerns we have been raising since the end of the pandemic.’
Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, said: ‘The freedom of choice over how a patient accesses health services must be protected, including non-digital options.’
A Department of Health spokesperson said: ‘Patients should be able to communicate with their GP in the way they choose, whether that is online or in person.’