The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is celebrating a significant milestone as in January it passed 100,000 Devon patients signed up to MY CARE, a digital service that makes it easy for patients to access their hospital information.
Accessible on a computer, phone or tablet, MY CARE brings information about hospital appointments, test results and other medical details together in one convenient place.
Not only does MY CARE allow patients to see details about appointments and test results at any time, home or abroad, for some patients it also offers a vital link with their care team at the hospital with direct messaging. Features like patient questionnaires also make it easier and more secure for patients and their clinical teams to share vital information.
“It was great when I was pregnant,” says MY CARE user Ellie Manning. “Everything is on MY CARE, so when you are busy you have all your appointments in one place. You also have the write up letter on your phone, so any recommendations are easy to find. It helps me feel like I’m in control.”
It has been an essential part in helping deliver the Trust’s ‘Acute Hospital at Home’ program, where patients monitor their condition at home, sharing their health data with their care team at the hospital directly and instantaneously via MY CARE. The Royal Devon uses MY CARE to collect more results remotely than any other Epic-equipped hospital in Europe.
“It’s a fantastic tool for supporting patients with long-term conditions. The direct messaging feature means that patients and clinical staff can get in contact with each other quickly and easily to help support their management and reduce unnecessary appointments.’ said Stuart Kyle, Rheumatology Consultant at Royal Devon.
“I use MY CARE and it's great. It means I don’t have to come into the hospital because I can monitor my blood results at home. It also helps my mental health as I’m able to analyse my results and study the implications in more depth. It's a game changer.” said Stephen Rupp, a current Royal Devon patient.
This has been made possible because the Royal Devon uses a digital electronic patient record system called Epic. While paper records are still used in many hospitals in the UK, Royal Devon became one of the country’s digital pioneers when it introduced Epic in 2020.
“We are at the forefront of a revolution in how care is offered to patients. And it makes me extremely proud to think of all the hard work that has gone into allowing the people of Devon to be among the first in the UK to benefit from this technology.” says Professor Adrian Harris, Chief Medical Officer at the Trust.
In the long-term, MY CARE will also help the Trust to become more sustainable. Currently, Royal Devon sends about 2 million letter every year, but with more people switching to MY CARE paper consumption and mailing costs will be dramatically reduced, making healthcare, greener and more cost-effective for us all.
All existing services will remain in place for those who prefer not to use MY CARE and would like to continue interacting with the hospitals the way they currently do. To join the 100,000 people already using MY CARE visit royaldevon.nhs.uk/patients-visitors/my-care.
