The online triage and consultation tool transforming general practice View a working demo at econsult.net

The only online consultation tool developed by GPs for GPs

As a practising GP, I’m familiar with the challenges GPs have to face at work every day. From managing increasing patient numbers to staff shortages. It’s frustrating and simply not sustainable in the long term.

We experimented with offering consultations over email, but found this difficult to manage, with no way of closing a consultation. It became clear that a secure platform was needed, one that followed a direct workflow and replicated a face-to-face consultation in a remote capacity.

And with that realisation, eConsult was conceived. A secure, online consultation tool, eConsult offers an end to end patient journey with a clear resolution in every case.

Designed by GPs for GPs, eConsult’s questionnaires capture the symptoms of over 100 clinical conditions and incorporate industry scoring measures, such as those that test for depression and anxiety. The questions responsively tailor according to the demographic of the patient, red flagging symptoms that require immediate medical intervention. Patients are also able to manage their own healthcare needs through the rich self-help content and signposting to alternative healthcare environments.

Patients already use the internet to manage finances, book flights and order groceries online, so consulting with their GP online is a natural progression. In fact in pilot studies, eConsult scored an overwhelming 95% in patient satisfaction, a powerful endorsement that demonstrates eConsults’ ability to radically improve patient outcomes and paves the way for more GPs to experience the value and improved efficiency that eConsult can bring to their own practices.

Dr Murray Ellender MRCGP MCEM

“ A secure, online consultation tool, eConsult offers an end to end patient journey with a clear resolution in every case.”

is live in over

300 NHS PracticesAcross

35 CCGsAvailable to

2.8million patients

“ This project has the rare potential to both significantly enhance the quality of healthcare provision and at the same time reduce costs.”

Dr David Stables, co-founder, EMIS Health

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We can’t find more GPs so how can we improve patient access?

Everyday across the UK the NHS is under mounting pressure to deliver increased access to a patient headcount that shows no sign of slowing down. Faced with 10-minute consultation times, limited resource and staff shortages, the pressure on GPs to rise to this challenge, while continuing to service their community’s primary care needs, is crippling.

It is acknowledged that the challenges of recruiting, training and retaining primary care

clinicians will not be solved with ease or in the short term.

Demand on primary care is increasing and patient confidence is decreasing. We believe providing efficiencies through online consultations will not only provide short term benefits, but also long term, sustainable change. Over a three year period NHS England has pledged to release additional funding for CCGs to invest exclusively in online consultation tools.

• Patients access eConsult via a dynamic web banner on their own GPs practice website

• eConsult’s tailored questionnaires capture the symptoms of over 100 clinical conditions

• Self-help and signposting options attempt to reduce demand on the practice

• Red flags alert the patient to symptoms that require immediate medical intervention

• Standard industry scoring systems, such as those that measure depression and anxiety are integrated into the questionnaires

• Patients should receive a response to their eConsult by the end of the next working day

An affordable online triage and consultation tool that improves patient access and practice efficency

eConsult provides an online portal giving patients the options of self-help; signposting to pharmacy and alternative healthcare environments or 111 for minor conditions; or they can consult online with their own NHS GP through their practice website

More than just online consultations

Self-help and symptom checking

Syndicated from

Signposting to 111 or pharmacy for minor conditions

with your GP

YOUR PRACTICE WEBSITE

YOUR PRACTICE WEBSITE

Patients may find the answers they need and avoid an appointment

altogether

eConsult fits around content on your existing

practice website

Determining if a patient can receive the medical

attention they need elsewhere

GP devised questionnaires that

red flags signs of serious illness

Mobile compatible so eConsult can be accessed

anywhere on the move

Reliable, trustworthy information

syndicated from NHS Choices

Putting patients directly in touch with

local alternative primary care providers

Summarising a patients symptoms in

one simple quick-reference report

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Self-help

EmailPRACTICE

PATIENT

No actionrequired

No actionrequired

No actionrequired

Signposting 111 clinicianwith GP

Cliniciansreview

eConsultreports

40%O�ered

prescription

20%Telephone

consultation

40%O�ered

appointment

Admin sta�monitor shared

mailbox andtask eConsults

to clinicians

I don’t want to change the way we

run our practice

• A single dynamic banner added to your practice website

• Unique training programme for both GPs and practice staff

• A suite of patient facing materials to promote eConsult in your practice

• Signposted services uniquely tailored to your geographic location

• Performance monitoring with weekly reporting

• Continuing I.T support including platform updates and improvements

• A significant change management process is not required, eConsult has been specifically designed to slot into your existing workflow

• eConsults completed by the patient are simply sent by secure email as a PDF attachment

• The PDF summary has been carefully designed so information can be quickly understood by both admin staff and GPs

• System agnostic and can be attached to any clinical system

Our team of GPs designed over 100 condition-based questionnaires that represent the “ideal consultation” for the symptoms being presented. Questionnaires are dynamically tailored to take into account a patients age, gender and other demographic profiling. With integrated industry scoring, such as PHQ9 for depression and GAD7 for anxiety, the ‘risk report’ generated empowers GPs to assess patients in less time than a face-to-face consultation. Allowing them to decide whether to issue a prescription on the spot. Or if they need to follow up with the patient either in person, or via a phone call.

eConsult fits straight into your usual practice workflow, and you’ll be up and running in no time

How eConsult fits into your practice workflow

The ‘risk report’

“ Giving patients the option of self-managing presenting conditions is definitely the way forward in terms of extending patient choice and helping to manage the increasing demand faced by our GPs.”

Jeanette Hucey, Associate Director of Transformation Basildon and Brentwood CCG

Commissioners on eConsult

Online consultation request

from John Smith (Male, Age 46)

for Hay fever

6 7

Patient Benefits

Empowering patientsPatients with restricted mobility, based in remote regions, or simply challenged for time now have a secure, and convenient way to consult with their own GP at a time that suits them, rather than having to wait for an appointment.

Convenient and time savingeConsult consolidates health information and advice in one reliable and trustworthy place; allowing patients to save time, and even avoid an appointment altogether, by using the self-help guides syndicated from NHS choices or signposting to local health services.

Administrative servicesSimple administrative requests, such as fit note extensions or immunisation certificates, can be completed using eConsult, negating the need for the patient to visit the practice in person.

Online consultationsPatients can use eConsult to request an online consultation for over 100 common clinical conditions with their own practice GP. Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with a response usually by the end of the next working day.

General Practice Benefits

Evolving primary careeConsult improves practice efficiency by making more productive use of clinical capacity, reducing patient waiting times and resulting in fewer requests for face-to-face appointments.

Increased efficiencyGPs can easily complete 2 or 3 eConsults in the same time it takes to do one traditional 10 minute patient consultation. Nurse practitioners are also able to process eConsults, increasing opportunities for improved practice efficiency.

Better health outcomesThe platform provides patients with better access to their GP at a time that suits them, leading to improved health outcomes through quicker detection of symptoms and earlier medical intervention, particularly for chronic and stigma conditions.

Safe practiceThe MDO, MDDUS and MPS have accepted online consultation as part of normal GP working and eConsult has built in red-flag functionality to detect and re-direct patients who are presenting concerning or clinically urgent symptoms.

Technically very simple and no jargon. Quicker with no waiting. I was able to go straight to pharmacist. Highly recommend as a first port of call.”

Chris, Patient at Docklands Medical Centre, London

Patients on eConsult

“ eConsult is the way forward in 21st Century patient access to primary care. Our GPs like it as it provides a time efficient and safe way to manage a wide range of patient health issues.”

Dr Ajit Kadirgamar Clinical Lead for The Practice +

GPs on eConsult

“

2.9mins is the average time it takes to

process an eConsult

60% of patient eConsults are

managed remotely

1/3 of patients use the self-help and signposting content with

18% of users closing the journey at that point

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Quantifying the claimsTo demonstrate eConsults’ efficiency we asked 20 GP practices to trial the service to their cumulative 133,000 patients for a 6-month period. We provided training to practice staff, as

well as all the tools needed to educate patients of eConsults existence. A summary of the results of that study are shown below, a full report is available to download on our website.

User Satisfaction

95% rated their experience as excellent or good

91% said they were extremely satisfied with consulting online

78% concurred that the service had saved them time

83% were extremely likely to recommend eConsult

GP Outcomes

60% of eConsults closed remotely

18% of unnecessary appointments avoided

60% of eConsults completed in under 3 minutes

Patient Findings

75% of users were employed

25-44 year olds were the biggest adopters (62%)

33% accessed eConsult on smartphone or tablet

9000 patients used self-help and signposting

This total includes:

• Full access to the eConsult unique online consultation tool

• A bolt on that you can upload to your existing practice website

• Marketing materials and advice to help you promote eConsult to your patients

• Complete implementation of eConsult in your practice

• Training on how to use eConsult for clinicians and practice staff

• 24/7 I.T support from eConsults technical team

• Integrated site hosting for the whole contract term

• Entire platform functionality and free upgrades to new features

• Weekly analytics and performance reporting

You can read the full report of this pilot study on our website by visiting www.econsult.net/casestudies

Only £0.63 (+VAT) per patient per annum. Within the GP Forward View scheme a discount of up to 60% and bid application support is available – contact us for more details.

Call us on: 020 3126 4407

Email us: econsult@webgp.com

eConsult has already been implemented to positive effect in hundreds of NHS practices across the UK. Get in touch with us for an informal no obligation chat.

Contact us

For more information, video guides, user testimonials and an online demo visit www.econsult.net

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View a working demo at econsult.netEmail us: econsult@webgp.com

Call us: 020 3126 4407