Upgrade for NHS online appointment-booking system
15 September
London, UK. Atos Origin has confirmed the successful rollout of the
latest upgrade to Choose and Book, an online hospital-appointment booking
system for the NHS in England. It is a key feature of the NHS National
Programme for IT (NPfIT) being delivered by NHS Connecting for Health in
England. The roll-out of the new functions was completed on schedule on 25
June 2006.
The company says that the latest upgrade reflects the continued
collaboration between Atos Origin, Cerner and NHS Connecting for Health to
improve the usability and functionality of the application, based on user
feedback and developing policy requirements.
The most recent major upgrade (implemented on 30 April 2006) incorporates
the following important new features:
- Support for the Department of Health’s Extended Choice framework
delivered at the end of April 2006 to coincide with a new policy
initiative.
- The ability to redirect referrals to the most appropriate consultant
without needing to start afresh.
- Facilities that will allow referring clinicians to make a note of
any special appointment needs, such as an interpreter.
- Enhanced usability, reducing keystrokes/clicks in booking workflows;
changing the structure of some screens to display more data without
having to scroll down; displaying nearest clinics according to distance
from the postcode entered.
Following extensive analysis of the scope and requirements of the system,
the upgrade was developed and tested with end-users in mind. In addition,
the new version went through rigorous integration testing with other
National Programme for IT systems prior to release into the live
environment.
“Atos Origin and NHS Connecting for Health worked closely to ensure the
seamless integration of the update and continue to work in partnership to
make the Choose and Book system as intuitive, fast and easy to use as
possible,” said Dave Atherton, Head of Health, UK, Atos Origin. “The recent
upgrade demonstrates how Choose and Book is constantly evolving and maturing
in response to user’s needs, becoming an appealing and flexible tool for GPs
and consultants.”
“Initial feedback from users has shown that this has already had
significant benefits and has boosted ease-of-use,” according to Tom Denwood,
Choose and Book Programme Head, NHS Connecting for Health. “We collaborated
closely with Atos Origin to ensure that the policy and user requirements
were delivered in the upgrade release, which is absolutely paramount, and
supported NHS Connecting for Health’s overall vision for the National
Programme.”
Atos Origin delivered the national Choose and Book system with software
provided by Cerner. David Sides, Managing Director, Cerner in the UK, said:
"We look forward to continuing to deliver with our partners Atos Origin and
NHS Connecting for Health, focusing on increasing user roll out to help more
patients take control of their health and treatment by exercising choice".
To top
|