New online GP service set to make booking appointments easier for Blackburn with Darwen residents

An app that makes it easier for residents to interact with their GP is now available across Blackburn with Darwen.

All GP practices in the borough are now offering myGP after the app was rolled out to make booking appointments easier for local people. myGP is available to download for smartphones from both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

The app allows patients to register remotely and once signed up, they can book and cancel appointments, set medication reminders and make use of a secure instant messaging service.

Patients can also use the app’s self‐care support tools to monitor weight and blood pressure.

The app will make it easier for people to manage their health related business more easily whilst also free up doctors’ time as well as help save the NHS money.

myGP has been funded by the partnership of health and care organisations across Lancashire and South Cumbria as part of a shared digital health strategy, ‘Our Digital Future’. Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria is the name for the partnership of NHS, local councils, public sector, voluntary sector and community organisations working together as an Integrated Care System to improve health and care services and help the 1.7 million people in Lancashire and South Cumbria live longer, healthier lives. Locally within Blackburn with Darwen, this includes Blackburn with Darwen Clinical Commissioning Group and Blackburn with Darwen Council.

Dr Hereward Brown said: “I am delighted that all GP practices in the borough now offer myGP. The response from patients using it has been very good.

“myGP is a very simple way of interacting with your practice. It complements the many other ways people can do so.

“Technology can be a vital tool in helping give people more control over their health and care.”

Dr Amanda Thornton, Digital Health Clinical Lead for Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria said: “The way we manage our lives is changing. 86% of households now have internet access, 82% of people go online every day and 72% of adults use a smartphone.

“Our digital strategy, which has been developed with the local community, aims to embrace these changes and provide residents with easy to use solutions to give them more control over their health and care. myGP is one of the resources we are funding locally to achieve this.

“We know that digital will not work for everybody. Some people struggle with computers and mobile phones and not everybody has access to the internet. For those who would like to use digital but cannot, our aim will be to find ways to help them get online. As our digital health offer grows we hope people will find it easier and more convenient to use online services, but technology will never replace the care and compassion that comes from our dedicated workforce.”

Councillor Brian Taylor, Assistant Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing and vice‐chair of the Darwen Primary Care Neighbourhood, said: “This is an excellent tool for residents to use. The council is fully supportive of tapping into the potential of new technology to improve the health and wellbeing of our residents.”

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Find out more about Our Digital Future, the digital health strategy for Lancashire and South Cumbria.