HOSPITALS in the north, including Royal Bolton, are leading the way in ditching paper.
Every acute hospital trust in the north has switched its first referrals to the digital-only e-Referral Service (e-RS).
Hospitals were required to make the change before October.
As well as reducing the amount of paper hospital's use, the e-RS is designed to give patients faster appointments and a greater choice of where their appointment will take place.
They can be booked online or through a GP surgery.
From October 1, trusts will only take electronic referrals from GPs and NHS Digital and NHS England are working together to support full implementation of e-RS.
Janet King, regional lead for information and technology, NHS England, said: “This is great news for the north region. It’s an excellent example of how health and IT professionals are working together to make real benefits for the people living in the north region.
"The removal of paper referrals speeds up the booking process, removes the risk of missing letters and enables both the patient and clinician to track the referral."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel