The NHS are set to launch a new online platform which will allow patients waiting for elective surgery to gain access to information regarding wait times.
The My Planned Care platform will aim to provide better support to patients pre-operation, allowing them to track and plan by having transparency about their upcoming surgery.
Clinicians will be able to link appropriate resources, which are personalised to each patient, onto the platform in preparation for their surgery.
The new platform will also help to minimise the number of procedures that are cancelled each year by ensuring patients are fit for surgery. The platform will support a variety of resources available to the patient such as stop smoking services and diet and exercise plans.
Alongside the rollout of 100 community diagnostic centres and additional surgical hubs, it has become the latest addition to the plans to help reduce the patient backlog in elective care across the NHS caused by the pandemic.
Sajid Javid, Health and Social Care Secretary, said: “At the height of the pandemic the NHS rightly focused on treating COVID-19 patients, but sadly it has meant waiting lists have risen - and the Covid backlog is going to keep rising.
“This platform, combined with our record funding to tackle the backlog and invest in innovative diagnosis and treatment will help us ensure access to life changing care and support for people no matter who they are or where they live.”
Around a third of on-the-day cancellations are due to patients not being clinically ready for treatment such as long-term conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure not being properly managed.
The platform will go live later this month and will be made available to patients, family members, carers, and clinicians.
In the spending review, £2.1 billion was allocated to improving digital technology on the frontline and advancing cyber security to help redesign care pathways and the NHS’s use of data.
