A CITY medical practice’s on-line service has been called “a glimpse of the future” by a national website database.

GP Websites, a website which lists more than 440 sites run by doctors across Britain, has named the Nene Valley Medical Practice as one of only two “Must See” sites on the internet.
The Nene Valley practice, at Clayton, Orton Goldhay, Peterborough, allows patients to register on-line and request repeat prescriptions.
And in the next couple of months it hopes to be one of only a handful in the country that allows patients to book appointments via the internet.
The GP site described the Peterborough practice website as a “glimpse of the future.”
It also said: “The website continues to introduce new ideas, with an interesting, fast-loading home page picture. It makes you want to see what’s inside.”
The Nene Valley practice, based at a new £1 million building since its move from Orton Malborne, currently has about 8,600 patients on its books.
Practice manager Liz Smith said: “We are a paperless practice. Everything goes on-screen.”
Mastermind of the internet initiative is Dr Steve Walker. He believes this is the way forward for surgeries.
“We hope to be able to offer on-line appointments in the near future, following on from the success of on-line prescription requests and new patient registrations, which are being actively used by our patients,” he said.
“It has improved communication and access. The feedback we have had so far has been very good. And the staff like the system. It fits in better with work routines.”
Dr Walker thinks the system could go further and integrate with pharmacies, and even carry out consultations on-line once security on the internet is improved.
All of the software is being done in-house. Dr Walker added: “From my point of view it is a big challenge to do it.”

The Nene Valley Medical Practice website address is www.nenevalleysurgery.org.uk

GP Websites is at http://www.internet-gp.com/gpsites

© East Midlands Newspapers Ltd