Domain AVisual Proposition October 2016

Introduction

This presentation illustrates a vision for the future of NHS.UK as an integrated online platform that brings NHS services direct to patients, when, how and where they need them.

The platform navigates the NHS for the patient, bringing control, transparency and efficiency to health and care for each individual.

This service vision illustrates how the new platform will deliver a truly connected, patient-centric experience of the NHS to all members of society.

Alleviate pressure on NHS ServicesConnecting each patient with most relevant service at the most relevant time to alleviate pressure on generic NHS services and drive efficiency.

OBJECTIVES

Empower patients to manage their own healthcareGiving patients the tools and education to better manage their own healthcare will create a healthier society.

Improve quality across the NHSDriving efficiency and quality of care by better informing and connecting patients and clinicians. The platform will also help generate insight into patients and how they use NHS services to uncover opportunities for ongoing improvements.

PRINCIPLES

PersonalisationThe platform adapts to be relevant to each individual’s circumstances, reflecting time, location and device, as well as healthcare needs such as prescriptions and conditions, and even information from personal devices such as exercise data. This means NHS.uk is truly each patient’s view of the NHS.

PRINCIPLESContextualised informationThe most appropriate content is always presented at the most relevant time. Information is provided how, when and where it’s needed by the patient. This makes information relevant, clear and easy to act upon.

PRINCIPLESTransparencyThe platform signposts patients to the best information and services, regardless of provider. This empowers each person to make the best choices for their healthcare – from choosing the right GP for their needs to taking the best course of action to manage depression.

PRINCIPLESSimplicityThe platform is designed to be simple, intuitive and work for the first time, regardless of the patient’s digital proficiency. Interactions and transactions are presented in the simplest possible format.

To illustrate this vision three core pages have been visualised and key features explained.

Condition page

Homepage: Anonymous

visitor

Homepage: Verified patient

Condition page

Condition pages These pages are a hub of information and services around a specific condition, signposting to appropriate actions and content for further exploration.

Since we know that a common behaviour is to start by searching for a symptom or condition, these pages will be vital for our anonymous visitors– that is, people who are yet to create an account.

Therefore, as well as offering as much personalisation and contextual information as possible, a condition page provides lightweight opportunities for visitors to create an NHS.UK account.

Open content snippets

Open NHS content is featured on third-party pages, such as Google. Content is where the patients are, making it more useful for more people and promoting NHS content as the definitive resource for health information, as well as driving patients into NHS.UK. The Choices omnibus survey (2016) showed 64% of respondents said that information coming from the NHS is one of the top five things they would take into account when deciding which health and social care website to go by.

Patient benefits: Contextual information presented at point of need, particularly since most condition-led journeys start with a Google.

NHS benefits: Open information gets more patients to the NHS services they need, when they need them.

Action-led content Content is relevant and directive, foregrounding information for diagnosis and treatment rather than describing conditions. Content is organised into bite-sized snippets of information so it easy to digest and pages are easy to navigate.

Patient benefits: Pages are comprehensive and information is easy to find and digest.

NHS benefits: Content becomes more self-serving, providing clear answers to vital questions to alleviate the pressure on other NHS services.

Integrated third party content and NICE-approved servicesThird-party content and services are incorporated where possible in order to provide patients with a wide range of NHS-endorsed options.

Patient benefits: Digital services are offered as an alternative to face-to-face services where appropriate. Patients are empowered to manage their own health and can choose the most appropriate service for their needs.

NHS benefits: Third-party resources take the strain off NHS services and empower the public to lead healthier lives.

Contextualised servicesRelevant NHS services are signposted at the appropriate point within articles. For verified patients, the signposting can be specific to their care team.

Patient benefits: Patients aren’t overwhelmed by options. Signposting to available actions means that patients can be confident they are taking the most relevant course of action.

NHS benefits: Encourages patients to use appropriate services when they need them and points them to the appropriate point of contact.

Verified patients

Integrated personal dataPatients are encouraged to bring in their own personal data to make the information more relevant to them. Where appropriate, personal data is shown alongside condition-related information. For example, in this situation exercise data from a phone app is integrated.Patient benefits: Information is easier to use, interpret and relate to.

NHS benefits: Encourages patients to use appropriate services and also creates more accurate, reliable data-points for clinicians to use during consultation.

Signposting to third-party supportWhere appropriate, content, services and information from NHS-endorsed third-party organisations are promoted and integrated. Events, articles and content are exposed.

Patient benefits: Patients have a clear, singular view of the different types of support available, and confidence to use them through NHS endorsement.

NHS benefits: By showing exactly what other organisations could provide patients, pressure is alleviated from the NHS as a one-stop shop for all needs.

Contextualised call to create account Patients are encouraged to create a NHS.UK account to take full control of their healthcare online. Benefits of creating an account are clearly listed.

Patient benefits: Comprehensive benefits and easy way to create an account.

NHS benefits: While patients who are highly engaged with NHS services will likely be recommended to create an account by clinicians, promoting the service to a highly digital audience is best done across the site.

Homepage – Anonymous visitor

Homepage: Anonymous visitor While our ambition is to get everyone within the UK registered with NHS.UK, it’s vital that this page is useful on first visit. Using contextual information, such as location, time, cookies and history, we’re able to surface content that’s most likely to be relevant for visitors. The page also clearly positions 111 as the first point-of-call for diagnosis and support. Finally, the page shows the value of a verified NHS.UK account.

Online triage (powered by Digital 111)Online triage gives patients instant access to diagnosis and support for a condition, which will be a primary use case for this page. For this reason, the ‘tell us what’s wrong’ search box leads the page.

Patient benefits: Patients want autonomy rather than dependency, so giving them tools to manage their own health is beneficial. Patients feel confident in their information, diagnosis and suggested course of action.

NHS benefits: Alleviates pressure on general NHS services. Gets right patients to the right services, improving efficiency of those services, increasing quality of care for those in need and reducing cost per transaction.

Light personalisation The service adapts to light data points (such as location and time of day) to provide more tailored information.

Patient benefits: Provides the most relevant information at the point of need.

NHS benefits: Ensures content and information reaches the required audience.

Localised service informationWith location information enabled, available local services are clearly shown, alongside live information such as opening times and directions. Patients are encouraged to find the right services for their needs and are able to register with clinicians and book appointments.

Patient benefits: Patients can clearly see their service options. Registration and booking is quick and easy, demystifying process.

NHS benefits: Increases likelihood of self-serving, reducing pressure on emergency services.

Frictionless transactionsPatients are able to perform low-level transactions (e.g. book a GP appointment) without verification, reducing the barriers to entry.

Patient benefits: Transactions are easy to perform.

NHS benefits: Encourages more patients to complete their transactions online by making it easier than picking up the phone. This increases the likelihood of self-service and sign-up to a full account.

Smart contentThe most timely, most relevant and most needed content is surfaced clearly, based on top search times and live events. Additional functionality based on other data points, such as location, can be seamlessly integrated with this content. For example, here we’ve shown a call-out for a shortage of a particular blood type, with localised information about when and where to give and a call to action to register.

Patient benefits: Content that is going to be most relevant to the largest amount of people is clearly surfaced, preempting the patient’s needs.

NHS benefits: The more relevant the content, the more likely it is to be acted upon.

Homepage – Verified patient

Homepage: Verified patientThe verified account page is the optimal way to use NHS.uk. Each logged-in user is able to have a complete, self-centred view of their healthcare and the services available to them. Verified accounts speak directly to clinicians, aggregate both NHS and third-party data points and provide integrated, contextualised and personalised content.

Account verification When a user’s account is verified, they unlock a completely personalised experience of the NHS. On logging in, NHS.UK transforms into the patient’s view of the NHS.

Patient benefits: A single, aggregated view of the patient’s health.

NHS benefits: Surfacing information direct to the patient alleviates pressure on more generic services and empowers patients to self-serve their healthcare. This also provides a singular view of each patient for NHS clinicians, as well as offering a means for timely communication and reminders direct to the patient.

Online triage (powered by Digital 111)

As with the anonymous view, online triage gives patients instant access to diagnosis and support for an untreated condition.

Patient benefits: Patients want autonomy rather than dependency, so giving them tools and information to help them manage their own health is beneficial.

NHS benefits: Alleviates pressure on general NHS services. Gets the right patients to the right services, improving efficiency of those services and reducing cost per transaction.

Personal health budgetPatients with personal health budgets can view their spending and choose from a wide range of items and services that will help them manage their long-term conditions and disabilities.

Patient benefits: Gives patients transparency on their budget and gives them the tools to manage their budgets more effectively.

NHS benefits: Empowers patients to manage their budgets more closely.

Localised service informationAs with the anonymous view, available local services are clearly shown, these provide live information such as opening times and directions.

Patient benefits: Complete information about the service is shown at the point of need – the patient doesn’t need to use Google to find out where/when the service is available.

NHS benefits: Surfacing nearby services – such as pharmacists and other primary care services – and showing the user how to get there increases likelihood of self-serving, reducing pressure on emergency services.

Your healthcare teamSummary information on the patient’s current care team. From here, the patient can choose how to get in touch with a clinician (book an appointment, phone, message, Skype consultation), seeing their availability for each.

Patient benefits: Patients feel confident and reassured by knowing their team and being able to get in direct contact with them.

NHS benefits: Reduces pressure on generic NHS services.

Booking process

Appointment remindersUpcoming primary and second care appointments are listed, with contextual information about why they are important and any preparation advice that is needed. Patients also have the option to cancel/amend their appointment if this date/time is no longer suitable.

Patient benefits: Brings appointments together in one place even though they might be delivered by multiple healthcare professionals, across organisations.

NHS benefits: Patients are less likely to miss and are more likely to be better prepared for appointments.

Action listActions, tasks and information that require the patient’s immediate attention are flagged clearly. The next thing the patient needs to do (in this case, related to their upcoming surgery – for another patient this could be information about taking medication or a next appointment) is clearly outlined, with appropriate content surfaced. The patient also has the ability to set alerts and reminders on devices, such as smart phones and watches.Patient benefits: Clearly foregrounds exactly what the patient needs to do, giving them a sense of control and ownership over their healthcare.

NHS benefits: Increases compliance, ensures that patients are well informed and well prepared for appointments and alleviates pressure on NHS.

Appointment alertsAlerts are shown for repeat appointments, routine appointments and screenings. To ensure compliance, content snippets describing why the appointment is important are surfaced as part of the alert, alongside booking functionality.

Patient benefits: Timely reminders of necessary appointments encourage people to make better use of the services that the NHS offers them. Booking and keeping track of appointments is made easy. Patient understands the what, how and why of each appointment.

NHS benefits: A single point-of-call for all patient communications, reducing reliance on general education around, as shown in this example, routine screenings such as the Cervical Smear. This would also be appropriate for other preventative services such as NHS health check.

Prescriptions centreA list of all the patient’s prescriptions are shown with a clear description of why this medication is important and any tips or relevant information about each. Patients can set reminders to alert themelves when they need to take their medicines. Patients can also order a repeat prescription (click and collect) and are informed or the status of this (e.g. arrived at this pharmacy).

Patient benefits: A comprehensive and accessible view of prescriptions helps patients feel in control.

NHS benefits: Encourages greater compliance with patients following medical advice. Reduces pressure on local services.

Data integrationData from test results and third-party sources is shown clearly, so patients can track and monitor their own progress. Patients are encouraged to enrich their healthcare data by integrating their own personal datasets using NICE-recommended third party apps and services. On linking this data with an NHS.UK account, patients create a singular view of their healthcare. This information is supplemented with contextual tips, content and even messages from clinicians.Patient benefits: Transparency means that patients have the tools to manage their own healthcare.

NHS benefits: Increases compliance and increases transparency between patients and clinicians, creating more complete and accurate datasets. Empowering patients reduces reliance on education.

Personalised contentBased on conditions, interests and history, patients are recommended articles and information to read. We know that people look for a depth of information about their healthcare, so we encourage them to take advantage of the wealth of information the NHS and its partners offer.

Patient benefits: Patients feel more informed and in control of their healthcare.

NHS benefits: Personalisation alleviates clinicians’ of duty to educate patients.

Accessible on all devices

The platform will be accessible on all devices and the layout of the information and services will be optimised for each screen size.

Thank you!