THE LIMES MEDICAL CENTRE

Patient Access User Guide 2014

Edition 1

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Patient Access Patient Access allows you to access The Limes Medical Centre’s on-line and text messaging services. Patients can book routine appointments and view limited sections of their medical records on line. In the coming months a new text messaging service will be available where your test results will be sent out via text message directly to your mobile phone. Patients can access the Patient Access website in any of the following ways:

At https://patient.emisaccess.co.uk From a link at www.patient.co.uk From a link at www.thelimesmedicalcentre.com Patient Access app installed on your smart phone

Patients can use Patient Access from a PC or from any other device that they use to access the internet, for example a mobile phone. Certain Patient Access functions are also available via digital television.

In this user guide we will be covering all aspects of Patient Access that we have enabled. How to register for Patient Access, How do I Book Appointments?, View Medical Records and Text Messaging results. How do I register for Patient Access? To set up an account with Patient Access you will need to come to The Limes Medical Centre reception and ask to be registered. Patients who wish to use Patient Access must have a current email address and mobile telephone number registered at The Limes Medical Centre. Please make sure you give this to the receptionist when you come in to register. If you do not register your email address and mobile telephone number you will not be able to use all functions of Patient Access. These are mandatory when registering for Patient Access. You will need to bring with you some form of photographic patient identification, for example a photocard driving licence or passport. Please note at present only patients over the age of 16 can register to use Patient Access. The receptionist will request your ID and then register you with Patient Access. You will then be handed a registration letter which you will then need to go home and access the internet with, to create a Patient Access Account. Please note you cannot use Patient Access until you have created an account. Once this is completed you will be able to book and cancel appointments and view your limited medical records on-line 24 hours a day. If you are a new patient, registering at our practice, you will be able to register for Patient Access after you have had your new patient health check at The Limes Medical Centre. Once you have had your appointment please go to reception and ask for your registration letter to Patient Access. Please see the section below on Setting up a Patient Access account using a letter from the Practice.

Setting up a Patient Access account using a letter from The Limes Medical Centre.

1. Go to http://www.patient.co.uk and go to the "Register" link at the top right of the site and select "Patient Access" in the drop down menu or go to the orange Patient Access box in the header and select "Register" from the pop up.

2. . The Patient Access Welcome screen is displayed.

To set up an account, you need to use the Register section, shaded in green, on the left-hand side of the screen. You only need to use this section once.

3. Click Register. Answer Yes to the question and the Register screen below is displayed.

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4. Type the details from the registration letter into the fields on the screen ensuring you enter the correct detail into the correct field. You must complete all the fields marked with an asterisk *.

5. Click Next. The screen below displays to enable you to enter personal details.

6. Type your details in the fields on the screen. You must complete all the fields marked with an asterisk *.

7. Click Next. A screen is displayed to enable you to add security information. NOTE:

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8. Type your email address and mobile number.

9. For each security question:

1. In the Security question field, click and select the question you want to use. 2. In the security answer field, type your answer to the selected question.

10. Click Next. A screen is displayed to confirm that your registration was successful and to provide your Patient Access User ID.

11. Make a note of your User ID for future reference. You can now use the User ID and the password you specified during the registration process to sign in to Patient Access.

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You now have a full Patient Access account and can use all of the functions in the site that The Limes Medical Centre has enabled.

Please be aware that the Practice has the authority to prevent individuals from using Patient Access or certain sections of the website should there be any mis-use of the service.

Can I register more than one account on the same email address?

Yes you can register more than one account on the same email address, although it is recommended that a unique email address is used for each Patient Access account. For each patient that wishes to use the same email address, they must inform The Limes Medical Centre reception and bring in photographic ID or Patient Access will not be activated.

What if I forget my User ID – what do I do?

If you know your Practice ID and Access ID - on the Patient Access homepage click the Get my User ID link and then enter these details into the boxes in the pop out tab to regenerate your User ID.

As The Limes Medical Centre has your email address, you can also get a reminder online by following the link on the home page.

You can also watch a video on the Patient Access website about using the Forgotten ID link.

Why can’t I sign in?

If your sign in details are no longer working, but you are sure they are correct, firstly check the following:

Make sure you are not using the details in the letter from the practice to try and sign in, as you need to use these to register an account first.

Ensure you do not have your CAPS LOCK key set by mistake. The password is case sensitive.

Make sure you are using the User ID, not the old Practice ID and Access ID numbers.

If you still cannot sign in, you may want to reset your password or get a User ID reminder.

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How do I Book Appointments

Now that you are registered with Patient Access you can start using the booking appointments on line function.

Please remember that you can access the Patient Access website various ways:

At https://patient.emisaccess.co.uk From a link at www.patient.co.uk From a link at www.thelimesmedicalcentre.com Patient Access app installed on your smart phone

Patients can use Patient Access from a PC or from any other device that they use to access the internet, for example a mobile phone. Certain Patient Access functions are also available via digital television. There is a very good video link on ‘How do I Book Appointments’ on the patient access website. If you go to their front page and click on ‘view our most frequently asked questions’ you will see a link called ‘how to book appointments’ – under this section there is the video that gives you full instructions. For written instructions please see the information below: You will need to log in to Patient Access. Click on Book an appointment in the Appointments section of the home page after you have signed in.

You will then be directed to the Book an Appointment section where there will be doctors slots available. At certain times of the year we will also be making specific clinics available to book on-line i.e. flu clinics. Click on the appropriate green button for either general appointments or specific clinic appointments.

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You will then be shown a list of all the available appointments, for the section you have chosen, choose the date, location and time that is suitable for you. Please make sure you select the correct surgery that you would like your appointment to be at and then make a note of the surgery that you are attending.

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You will then be taken to a confirm your booking screen, where the date, time, location and name of the dr you are seeing is displayed. On this screen you will be asked to enter the reason for your appointment. This really helps the practice plan our time and gives us an idea of what you as a patient is going to require before you present for the appointment. The form only allows for 36 characters of information. It is intended to give a general summary of why the appointment is required. When this is completed please click on the green Book appointment button. Your appointment is now booked.

Your confirmed appointment will be displayed and you can either print the appointment or add it to an external calendar.

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When you then return to your homepage your appointment will be displayed under the appointment section of your front page. You still have the option to print, add to calendar or cancel this appointment.

Please note at present Patient Access cannot send an email or text message alert when you have booked your appointment. However, you will receive a text message alert 48 hours prior to your booked appointment.

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How to add my appointment to an electronic calendar

When you book your appointment there is an option on the confirmation screen to do this. The option also appears on the homepage next to booked appointments

When you click the button options are as below. Note: the .ics file can also be used with Yahoo calendars. The .ics file will NOT work with Outlook 2003.

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How many Appointments can I book on-line? You can book one appointment at any one time on-line. If you do require any further appointments please ring The Limes Medical Centre and speak with a receptionist. Can I book appointments for my children? At present we are only registering patients over the age of 16 for Patient Access. Appointments for children will need to be made either using Patient Partner or via our reception. How do I view my medical record?

You will be able to view your known allergies and your current medication in the ‘View your medical record’ section.

There is a link called View your medical record in the Medical Record section of the home page after you have signed in.

We will be adding additional sections to your medical record viewer at a later stage and will be publishing details regarding this by the end of the year.

Can anyone else see my medical records? No, providing you keep your own log in details secret and secure, no one else can access your records. What details can I see on my Medical Record? You will be able to view your repeat and acute medication and known allergies. The medication section shows you your dosage of any medication you may be on and also a generic description of what each medication you are on may be used for. We will be adding further sections later on in the year to your medical record viewer. Further details regarding this will be released in due course.

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Text Messaging Service

What text messaging services are offered? Currently we offer a text messaging service, which sends out a text message 48 hours before your booked appointment, as a reminder. All patients who have a mobile number on their patient record will automatically receive this text message service. We are launching a new text messaging service in the coming months which will text you your test results and inform you if any action is needed once the doctor has seen them. You will receive one of the two following texts:

Your results have been received and no action is required. Your results have been received please contact your GP practice.

All patients, who have their mobile number on their patient record will automatically receive this new test result text message service. If you do not want to receive these services, please see reception and fill out an opt out form. Unfortunately at the moment we cannot opt you out of just one service, so if you wish to opt out of one text messaging service you will have to opt out of both. If you change your mobile number please inform the practice immediately to get your details updated. It is the patient’s responsibility to inform us of any change of mobile number and The Limes Medical Centre will not take any responsibility for patient’s mobile numbers not being up to date.

How can I receive these text messaging services? Every patient with a mobile number on their patient records will automatically be opted in and receive a text message alert for appointments. In the near future patients will start receiving test results via text message. If you do not have your current mobile number on your patient record you can update your patient details at reception or online at www.thelimesmedicalcentre.com and go to the ‘update contact details’ section.

What if I don’t want to receive these text messaging services? As stated above, if you do not wish to receive appointment reminders or test results by text please fill in an opt out form. These forms will be available from reception and will need to be filled in and handed back to reception.

Can I still receive appointment reminders by text but not receive my test results?

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Unfortunately at the moment we cannot only opt you out of one service, so if you wish to receive appointment reminders you will also receive your test results by SMS message. What if I change my mobile number? Please let us know immediately if you change your mobile number. You can do this by coming in and letting reception know or online at http://www.thelimesmedicalcentre.com/ and select ‘update contact details’ at the bottom of the page. Please note it is the patient’s responsibility to inform The Limes Medical Centre of any change to mobile number and email address.