MJOG has partnered with eConsult and Sunderland’s health funding authority as part of its new Smart Partners programme, which helps encourage the widespread take up of innovative digital healthcare services.
MJOG and eConsult will support more than 280,000 patients covered by Sunderland’s Clinical Commissioning Group enabling them to be informed via their mobile phones about the range of services the app offers.
Patients using eConsult can communicate with their GP surgery digitally, often receiving advice within hours without having to leave home or work. Some surgeries using eConsult have seen a quarter of patients who would have sought an appointment dealt with online, freeing up mavailability for those most in need.
Kevin Nutt, managing director at MJOG, said: “We are the missing link between those developing innovative healthcare solutions and those commissioning them for use in their local area. Our in-house technology is already used by 4,000 GP surgeries – roughly two thirds of the market – to tell patients about upcoming appointments and promote health campaigns but now we have gone a step further with our Smart Partners programme, which will ensure hundreds of thousands of people in the Sunderland area are told that they can access online triage service eConsult.”
“Many CCGs face challenges in communicating new services to patients and under-pressure GP surgeries seldom have the time or the energy to focus attention on it either. MJOG Smart Partners means all patients can be told about a new service in an instant, meaning that uptake is highly likely to grow.”
Dr Mark Harmon, Strategic Director at eConsult, said: “The collaboration with MJOG and the Sunderland CCG is potentially game-changing for us. The advertising of our services is usually done through GP practices but most practices are so busy it can be challenging for them to find the time to effectively market new innovations to their patients, meaning promotion is usually done through traditional methods, such as notice boards, where it is hard to stand out.”
“Having this targeted messaging service from MJOG means we will be able to link with all types of patient groups with key information about everything from public health awareness drives through to seasonal campaigns, as well as providing bone fide medical advice without patients needing an appointment.”
