The My Planned Care web platform for patients to obtain information ahead of planned surgeries has gone live.
NHS England announced the move yesterday, saying it will enable patients and carers to access information ahead of appointments, operations and treatments.
In the first stage around 5.5 million patients – from six million on the total waiting list – will be able to search on the site for average waiting times for treatment they need at their local hospital.
The site includes data from 137 NHS trusts and will be expanded in the coming months to include personalised information and support for patients on the waiting list.
Further expansion plans include adding advice on stopping smoking, on diet and exercise, and to help patients prepare for surgery and recover quickly.
Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “This first of its kind platform will give millions of patients more certainty over their own care no matter who they are or where they live.
“Alongside new surgical hubs to ramp up operations and Community Diagnostic Centres to provide faster diagnoses closer to home, the My Planned Care platform will help us put patients in control.”
When announcing the plan for the platform earlier this month, the Department for Health and Social Care said it will initially be available through nhs.uk and there are plans to provide the service through the NHS App at a later date.
The launch is part of the plan for tacking the backlog of elective care caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
This also involves NHS staff being encouraged to consider how they can draw on social prescribing link workers and care co-ordinators to support patients waiting for care, targeted packages of support for patients on the list for procedures with the longest waits, and the provision of more surgical hubs to the existing network of 122 across England.
