Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Deploys DrDoctor’s Patient Engagement Portal

LONDON, UK, 1 October 2024: DrDoctor, the UK’s leading patient engagement platform (PEP) supplier, has today announced a new partnership with Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation to empower operational and clinical teams to manage and scale hybrid patient pathways within the trust. 

DrDoctor’s Patient Portal, accessible on a mobile phone, PC or tablet or via the NHS app, delivers a personalised, convenient and effective hospital experience for patients, giving them a convenient place to view their appointment letters, receive notifications and reminders and access helpful health information specific to them. Investment by the Countess of Chester Hospital in system level changes such as these will ensure the right patients are at the right place at the right time. 

Looking ahead, Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has committed to extending the use of DrDoctor’s technology to give patient’s even more control over their care experience. The ability to direct message care teams, change and cancel appointments and make use of a digital PIFU (patient initiated follow up) service are just some of the capabilities planned in the phased roll out to improve the quality of service the Trust offers. The second phase will also allow patients to book appointments at times which suit them using a partial booking system, which has been proven to reduce ‘Did Not Attend’ (DNA) rates by as much as 30% when patients are able to confirm slots closer to the appointment time. 

Additionally, through DrDoctor’s partnership with Nautilus, in the latter phases of roll out, patients of Countess of Chester will also have access to two-way scheduling via Oracle Health Electronic Patient Record (EPR). 

Dr Theresa Barnes, consultant rheumatologist and clinical lead for the Patient Engagement Portal System said:
“As a Trust we are always looking for ways to improve the experience of our patients and this important step toward digital transformation will make it more convenient for them to access their hospital appointments and health information in a single place. 

"We are thrilled to be able to offer this service to improve the patient pathway and give patients more control over their care.” 

Nick Barlow, Executive Director Transformation at DrDoctor said:
“We’re delighted Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation has chosen to partner with DrDoctor. Our technology is designed to fundamentally improve the way patients access and engage with their care, whilst supporting Trusts to increase efficiency, productivity throughout the patient journey. With ambitious plans to continue enhancing this partnership through a phased roll out of advanced functionality, from direct messaging to automated appointment rescheduling, we’re passionate about delivering a seamless experience for patients and service users along their care journey - all while strengthening our support for our NHS to deliver hybrid healthcare”.