GPs are 'putting patients at risk' by insisting they access care online or through the NHS app, report warns By Shaun Wooller Health Editor For The Daily Mail Published: 01:08, 25 July 2024 | Updated: 01:30, 25 July 2024 e-mail View comments Doctors are putting patients at risk by insisting they access care online or through the NHS app, a damning report says today. GP practices are increasingly using digital forms to help manage demand for face-to-face appointments. But the poorly designed sites are unable to collect the information staff need to triage patients and make a diagnosis, the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) found.
This has introduced potentially lethal delays in identifying diseases, the report adds, and damaged the doctor-patient relationship. Furthermore, the push towards a ‘digital-first’ NHS is deterring the elderly. Patients describe feeling ‘frustrated’, ‘humiliated’ and ‘embarrassed’ when asked to submit symptoms via online forms.
Pictured the NHS app displayed on a mobile phone screen (file image) A woman having an appointment with a doctor via video call (stock image) It is feared that this can lead them to downplay issues that they would have divulged in person. Read More NHS 'poorly placed' to cope with an ageing population, warns spending watchdog Doctors admitted that the lack of personal interaction means they may miss vital cues. The requirement to have a computer or smartphone to access digital services means the.