FROME Medical Practice is starting a series of digital health pop up sessions, to complement its existing programme of support available to patients needing help with using health-related technology.
The new pop-up sessions will be held at different venues around town and come ahead of changes to the way patients can book appointments at the practice from Thursday 21st September.
The practice has been holding digital health drop-in sessions and a digital cafe for several months now. Veronique Segura, the digital health connector at the practice, said, “Our digital health drop in sessions and the digital cafe are going really well. We’ve been able to support patients with a range of issues, from installing the NHS App on their phones to getting registered to use it.
“We’ve fixed some more complex issues with technical glitches and, with the help of local company Donate IT, we’ve been able to provide people who need them with refurbished devices free of charge. We’re now taking our digital health sessions out into more venues across the town as a pop up, where we hope to engage with even more patients who might need our help with using digital technology to help improve their health and wellbeing.”
The practice recently announced that from 21st September it will be offering a new way to request appointments, via an online form on their website. This follows on from a recent change that made routine appointments available to book via the NHS App.
Gareth Hannam is the digital transformation lead at the practice and said, “The NHS App is an important part of a national drive towards improving digital access to health care, and we want to ensure all our patients are getting the best out of the new technology. Patients generally find the app easy to use, but we are here to support any of our patients that need help, and our team will also be available to answer questions or concerns about the improvements that are coming from late September. You can use the NHS App to book routine appointments, such as blood tests, view your medical record, or arrange repeat prescriptions.”
Details of upcoming sessions and how they can support patients registered with Frome Medical Practice are as follows. More dates and venues may be added in the future and the practice advises patients to check the practice website and social media for regular updates.
Digital health sessions
Digital health sessions are held at regular times at Frome Medical Practice and also as pop ups at various venues around Frome. Patients registered with Frome Medical Practice who need help with anything to do with using technology to support their health, for example, installing the NHS App, registering to use the App, use of other health apps, and (from 21st September) using the new online system to request appointments at the practice are welcome to drop into these sessions, with no appointments needed.
- Every Tuesday 10am to 12pm, Live Well Room, Frome Medical Practice
- Every Thursday 4pm to 6pm, Live Well Room, Frome Medical Practice
- Tuesday 1st August 1pm to 3pm, Frome Library
- Tuesday 8th August, 1pm to 3pm, Asda
- Tuesday 15th August 1pm to 3pm, Sainsbury’s
- Tuesday 22nd August 3pm to 5pm, Frome Leisure Centre
- Tuesday 5th September 1pm to 3pm, Frome Library
- Tuesday 12th September 1pm to 3pm, Asda
- Tuesday 19th September 1pm to 3pm, Sainsbury’s
- Tuesday 26th September 3pm to 5pm, Frome Leisure Centre
- Tuesday 10th October 3pm to 5pm, Asda
- Tuesday 17th October 1pm to 3pm Sainsbury’s
- Tuesday 24th October 3pm to 5pm, Frome Leisure Centre
- Tuesday 7th November 1pm to 3pm, Frome Library
- Tuesday 14th November 1pm to 3pm, Asda
- Tuesday 21st November 1pm to 3pm, Sainsbury’s
- Tuesday 28th November 3pm to 5pm, Frome Leisure Centre
- Tuesday 5th December 1pm to 3pm, Frome Library
- Tuesday 12th December 1pm to 3pm, Asda
- Tuesday 19th December 1pm to 3pm, Sainsbury’s
Members of the practice team, along with colleagues from Spark Somerset, are available at the digital cafe to help people with any ‘digital’ or online queries they need support with, for example using a mobile phone or laptop, accessing information online and using apps. This will be every Thursday 10am to 11.30am, cafe at the Cheese and Grain
More details about the digital support offered by the practice, the NHS App and improvements to the way patients can book appointments from 21st September are available on the practice website at https://www.fromemedicalpractice.co.uk/digital-access
