The internet is such a normal part of our lives that it’s easy to assume that everything we can do online is being done online, but that’s not true in a very important area - healthcare.
Despite our voracious appetite to shop, bank, chat and organise our social lives on our computers, tablets, and smartphones, surprisingly few of us are using the free online services now offered by almost every GP surgery in England.
To improve uptake, the government has charged English GP practices with achieving at least a 10% patient sign-up rate for online services by the end of this month (March 2017). Scotland and Wales are earlier on the digital journey, but both have pledged millions to improve online access to GP services.
When you consider the strong benefits they offer, it’s surprising that uptake of these services has been so low. Assuming you have easy access to the internet (and I accept this is not the case for all) I can’t imagine why anyone would rather hang on the phone to make a doctor’s appointment when they could pick a convenient slot online.
