UK. New state-of-the-art national electronic booking system for the NHS

Citation

(2004), "UK. New state-of-the-art national electronic booking system for the NHS", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 17 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa.2004.06217aab.009

UK. New state-of-the-art national electronic booking system for the NHS

UK

New state-of-the-art national electronic booking system for the NHS

Keywords: Electronic booking, Computer software

The £64.5m contract to provide the National Electronic Booking System – the first national booking system in the world – has been awarded to SchlumbergerSema. Electronic booking will mean patients will be able to choose which hospital they would like to attend at a date and time to suit them. New computer software will be available to more than 30,000 GPs, connecting them to some 270 acute hospitals and community or mental health hospitals, so that patients are able to exercise their choice at the point of referral to hospital from their GP.

Electronic booking pilots around the country have demonstrated it is very popular with patients. It is likely to lead to more patients being able to attend their appointments. This in turn will lead to more efficient use of NHS time, as patients will no longer need to make follow-up appointments with their GPs simply to check the progress of their referral. The electronic booking system will be introduced throughout the NHS in the UK, with the first electronic bookings expected in summer 2004. Implementation of the national electronic booking programme is expected to be completed by the end of 2005.