Emis Online Patient Services

Recent Technical Problems

Please note that there have been some temporary glitches with the online EMIS system recently, particularly with the appointment booking system. This is supplied by a third party provider and beyond the control of the practice. We believe the error has been fixed, but please be aware from time to time the service may suffer from interruptions and technical issues.

Overview

Our computer supplier EMIS have made available to us a web site module which will allow you to book appointments, order repeat prescriptions and change your contact information online. You can now also use your digital TV or mobile phone.

Read the instructions below first, then click here to access the EMIS system once you have obtained a PIN number to use it.

Registering for the online system/TV/mobile phone

The registration is simple- but for security we will need you to come into the surgery with some proof of ID before we give you a PIN and so on. Acceptable ID may be a photo driving license or a passport.

Parents will be able to take a PIN for their children. Similarly, carers of the disabled and so on will be able to for them.

Clearly if we find that someone is booking appointments willy nilly, or abusing the system in any other way, then we will cancel their online account.

Accessing appointments on Sky:

Press the Interactive button on your remote
Select SKY Active from the menu
Select Interactive Services
Select Local Services
Select Looking Local
Now navigate to your area or use the "Search for Your Area" facility

Accessing appointments on a 3 Mobile Handset:

Services
Websites
Look up Stuff
Looking Local
Now navigate to your area or use the "Search for Your Area" facility

Popular with patients

EMIS Access not only saves both time and money for the practice, but also allows reception staff to focus on other key areas and provide a better service to patients. The service has benefits for patients without internet access too - EMIS Access means that less people will be ringing the surgery, so it makes the practice more accessible over the phone.

The service has proved particularly popular with busy commuters, the elderly and people with disabilities. Families with young children are welcoming the service, as children often become ill at night, and parents can put their minds at rest by booking an appointment straightaway. Then if the child feels better in the morning, the appointment can be cancelled just as easily.

Huge savings for the NHS

EMIS Access could save the NHS at least £29.2 million per year, at a conservative estimate.

It costs a practice on average 67p in overheads to book an appointment. There are approximately 39,600 appointments booked each year and there are 5,500 practices using EMIS. If just 10% of those appointments are booked using EMIS Access, that represents a £14.6 million saving each year.

If the same patients also order their repeat prescriptions through EMIS Access, at the same cost, the saving for the NHS rises to £29.2 million, each year

We anticipate that more than 10 per cent of patients will use EMIS Access - there are potentially 27 million NHS patients across England that could benefit from the system.