NHS England saving time for both practices and patients
NHS England has used OS data to make registering for a GP easier for everyone.
After a joint review by the NHS and Department for Health and Social Care, results found that GP registration was a high volume and difficult task – for both GP practice staff and patients. NHS England wanted to improve the way people register.
NHS England has now launched a new online service to make registering for a GP easier for everyone. Available through GP surgeries’ own websites, the NHS Find a GP service, and the NHS App, the service has already registered hundreds of thousands of patients.
"We’re pleased to see a growing number of GP practices are coming on board, helping them save time and improve patient records."
Pilot studies show the service reduces staff processing time by up to 15 minutes per application, while giving patients an easier alternative to getting registered. The new service also benefits GP surgeries by improving the quality of patient information received by the NHS, reducing errors and duplicated records.
The new service improves accessibility too, by allowing those supporting vulnerable people to register on their behalf.
OS Places API has been integrated with the NHS App to verify patient addresses against AddressBase Premium, and automatically check if users live in the catchment area for a practice – making it quicker and easier for people to find and register with their nearest GP.
The system then emails the information to a GP in a format compatible with their IT systems. It’s fully integrated with NHS login, matches patients to NHS numbers, and is compatible with translator services.
OS Places API will also enable NHS England to capture patient’s Unique Property Reference Numbers (UPRNs) for the first time, helping to tackle the issue of capturing poor address information through the patient registration process.
More accurate location data will help NHS England plan, research, and improve the services it delivers to patients, including the ability to respond quickly to major health threats.
"A national online registration service standardises the process for practices and removes the need to request documentation from patients. We have worked with charities such as Groundswell and Doctors of the World on the design, using feedback from those who are most at risk of exclusion and have the poorest health outcomes."
Explore a healthier place.
NHS England are members of the Public Sector Geospatial Agreement (PSGA) which provides free access to a range of Ordnance Survey (OS) services, including the OS Places API.
The Public Sector Geospatial Agreement
Ordnance Survey and the Geospatial Commission
The Public Sector Geospatial Agreement (PSGA) is a contract between Ordnance Survey and the Geospatial Commission, on behalf of the public sector in England, Wales, and Scotland. It's the route for public sector member organisations to access, use and share our ever-evolving location data.
Our highly accurate geospatial data and printed maps help individuals, governments and companies to understand the world, both in Britain and overseas.
Products and solutions featured in this blog
OS Places API
OS Places API lets you perform accurate geocoding and reverse geocoding with our secure, scalable, and resilient address API.
AddressBase Premium
AddressBase Premium offers full lifecycle information of a property that can be used within geographical information systems & database systems.