Scottish practices trial patient portal

Two GP practices in Scotland are to run a trial of an online patient portal enabling patients to access their records over the internet, the Scottish Government has announced.

The Patient Portal will run at two practices in NHS Ayrshire and Arran over the next six months to enable patients to view test results and update their records from anywhere with an internet connection.

The project could pave the way for the patient portal to be rolled out across Scotland, according to health secretary Nicola Sturgeon.

Sturgeon saw a demonstration of the portal at Irvine’s Townhead surgery, which will take part in the £175,000 pilot project along with the Kilwinning Medical Practice.

Sturgeon said the portal would enable patients to see prescriptions and input their blood pressure and other key readings without having to make frequent surgery visits.

She added: “It will make life a great deal easier for patients as well as supporting the delivery of the highest possible quality of primary care.

"One of our most important priorities is to make patients partners in their own care and this is exactly what the Patient Portal does.”

GP Dr Jim Campbell from The Townhead Surgery is ehealth clinical lead for NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

He said the development of the portal was a wonderful opportunity to work closely with groups of patients to identify how they could take more control of their health.

He added: “The system is secure and confidential and we are convinced that following this pilot our patients will welcome the option to order repeat prescriptions, set targets, track their blood sugar levels and monitor their blood pressure.”

Dr Campbell said the project has been support by technical staff at NHS Ayrshire and Arran and Microsoft.