EMIS & EPRs

22 Jul 2026 Who do your patients actually see? A free continuity tool for GP practices Introduces a free browser-based tool that checks a practice's Usual GP field against who patients really see, and reflects on building clinical software with AI.

6 Apr 2026 Lexacom New Features LinkedIn Lexacom AVT now pulls EMIS patient data into ambient consultation notes locally on the desktop, and a new mobile app takes dictation to home visits and meetings.

7 Sept 2025 Can we get rota management in EMIS? LinkedIn Asks whether any rota management software can push its generated schedules directly into EMIS appointment books, suspecting a weak API means an RPA workaround is needed.

2 Sept 2025 New process for PPA Drugs Claims? LinkedIn Calls out the paper-based quarterly PPA reimbursement claim for practice-administered drugs as a day-long manual chore in every surgery, and asks why EMIS or others cannot automate it.

22 Aug 2025 Not sure why this post didn’t get more attention- so reposting in case it was missed in… LinkedIn Reshares a study using temporal graph analysis of patient records to measure clinician-patient interaction intensity.

13 Aug 2025 So my desktop at the surgery has been upgraded to windows 11! LinkedIn Grumbles that a Windows 11 upgrade left his surgery desktop slower, crashing more, and unable to connect Surgery Connect to EMIS.

31 Jul 2025 I recently did a couple of workshops demoing the Ambient Scribe technology in Lexacom to… LinkedIn Reports workshop feedback on Lexacom's ambient scribe and Echo speech recognition, noting time savings across EMIS, email and Word.

11 Jun 2025 Could RPA help with this problem? LinkedIn Asks whether RPA or an API could copy predefined data such as ethnicity and BPs between EMIS Web and community services' EMIS records.

21 Feb 2025 My Latest EMIS Request LinkedIn Asks EMIS for a one-click button to send an acute script to the pharmacy outside the surgery, replacing a destination-change process that eats minutes per consultation.

29 Dec 2024 Are Docman doing the right thing? LinkedIn Questions Docman's plan to charge extra for its AI letter summarisation, arguing it should add value to its centrally funded core product before ICBs cut the cost.

11 Nov 2024 EPR summaries can be a mess. LinkedIn Argues robotic process automation could consistently tidy messy GP problem lists and coding, making records clearer for shared care.

7 Nov 2024 Been playing with EMIS-X this week. LinkedIn Gives early impressions of EMIS-X, praising its speed and instant document access despite a user interface that still needs work.

6 Sept 2024 In a previous post I whinged about EMIS in terms of worsening reliability and performance… LinkedIn Argues GP electronic records need rethinking, with clearer consultation logging, cross-practice scalability and built-in process tracking.

5 Sept 2024 I try not to whinge on here - but EMIS just gets worse and worse. LinkedIn Neil lists mounting EMIS faults, from the panic button to the task counter, and says he is now seeking a new EPR.

9 May 2024 Just been having a play with AnalyseRx on my EMIS system.. LinkedIn A first look at AnalyseRx on EMIS, praising the interface and seeing a real use case, once he completes the training.

24 Apr 2024 The East sussex assistant coroner has written to TPP and EMIS complaining that their… LinkedIn Responds to a coroner's warning to EMIS and TPP over record-transfer delays, describing poor prison-release medical records.

22 Feb 2024 CBT Phone System LinkedIn Early impressions of a new CBT phone system: patient callback and the callboard work, but EMIS tie-in quirks, missing caller names and weak reporting disappoint.

29 Dec 2023 My PCN's co-DTL Caroline Acuda has put together this guide for clinicians to show them… LinkedIn Shares a guide on how EMIS entries appear in the NHS App, flagging exposed third-party emails and internal session names.

1 Nov 2023 Over the last 6 months or so I've heard of several staff from nearby practices leave and… LinkedIn Warns that departing staff deleting EMIS and shared-drive files exposes weak access controls and leaver policies.

18 Oct 2023 Has anyone done a workload/or what pts want audit? LinkedIn Asks whether anyone has an EMIS template for auditing practice workload and patient demand, coding reception and clinician contacts in SNOMED.

13 Oct 2023 EMIS bulk signing functionality LinkedIn Praises v2 of EMIS's bulk prescription signing feature after signing off almost 100 scripts in a few clicks, with wider release promised soon.

20 Sept 2023 EMIS have put this info in a newsletter: in case you havent seen it:' LinkedIn Relays an EMIS newsletter on Web 9.22's new GPAD appointment exception flag, supporting the ACC-08 two-week booking IIF indicator.

19 Sept 2023 Anyone have any good experiences of early cancer detection software that integrates with… LinkedIn Asks for recommendations on current early cancer detection software that integrates with EMIS.

25 Jul 2023 Are your practices confused as to why their end of year payments don't quite match what… LinkedIn Links to an Ardens explanation of why practices' year-end Network Contract DES payments don't match what CQRS led them to expect.

18 Jul 2023 Anyone good with the interface between EMIS web and EMIS community?' LinkedIn Asks how to automatically copy ethnicity and preferred-language coding from EMIS Web into community services' EMIS Community system.

26 May 2023 EMIS IT Issues - Take some responsibility! LinkedIn After a wrongly pushed EMIS update disrupted practices for a day, asks whether an anonymous apology email is good enough and calls for named accountability from suppliers.

22 Nov 2022 The ups and downs.. 2 emails from EMIS yesterday - one very welcome saying they are… LinkedIn Reacts to EMIS improving search performance but withdrawing its built-in QRISK calculator, and floats an app to fill the gap.

30 Jul 2022 Did you know that our free to use How2.training website not only has videos on using EMIS… LinkedIn Highlights the free How2.training site's videos on EMIS Web, other GP IT systems and manager topics like CQRS, now also on YouTube.

6 Jul 2022 We have just done a quick video of the new e-sign function in EMIS web for Fit notes and… LinkedIn Shares a free how2.training video on EMIS Web's new e-sign feature for fit notes and sending them to patients electronically.

7 May 2022 Anyone know if #Alivecor have an API? LinkedIn Asks whether AliveCor offers an API, wanting a simple app to file 6L ECG readings into the clinical record with SNOMED codes.

7 Apr 2022 Support for PCNs in delivering Enhanced Access LinkedIn A Howbeck Healthcare case study on helping ten PCNs deliver Enhanced Access with a practice-based model, EMIS enterprise consultations and Apex activity monitoring.

18 Feb 2022 One of my contacts is asking does anyone know of any online/electronic solutions to DMARD… LinkedIn Seeks EMIS-integrated software for DMARD monitoring that auto-populates blood results and alerts patients.

2 Feb 2022 Some of you will know that we run How2.training as a not for profit GP IT training… LinkedIn Introduces How2.training, a free not-for-profit GP IT training platform with 1,500-plus users, and its new YouTube channel.

11 Jan 2022 In the book Good Omens there is a brilliant scene where the demon character Crowley moves… LinkedIn Uses a Good Omens analogy to lament EMIS's constant slowness and crashes, calling for a lean browser-based alternative or switching systems.

29 Dec 2021 One of the issues we are having around chasing patients for their boosters is although… LinkedIn Highlights gaps in EMIS coding for how Covid boosters are offered and declined, which hampers chasing at PCN level.

20 Dec 2021 just been thinking about turning on Record View in accuRx - it strikes me this would work… LinkedIn Suggests accuRx's Record View could give home-working GPs basic remote access, and calls for record write-back and EPS prescribing.

2 Nov 2021 How to... meet your IT needs Pulse PCN Practical tips for building a PCN IT strategy: audit hardware, align clinical systems and add-ons, share staff skills, use business intelligence tools and hire dedicated IT support.

24 Jul 2021 Is it time to replace EMIS? LinkedIn Reports Cheshire GP leads seriously discussing alternatives to EMIS, and suggests the appointments module, messaging and consultation screens are ripe for disruption and AI.

6 Jul 2021 Looking for any EMIS or primary care IT experts who might be interested in helping us… LinkedIn Seeks EMIS and primary-care IT experts to record training videos for how2.training as paid freelance work.

21 May 2021 Lovely quote/feedback from one of the new users on www.how2.training the FREE primary… LinkedIn Shares a new PCN clinical pharmacist's testimonial praising the free how2.training site for learning EMIS.

7 May 2021 Today we launching How2.training. LinkedIn How2.training launches with around 80 free videos on primary care IT systems and the GPAD programme, funded by Cheshire and Merseyside HCP.

17 Mar 2021 Another view: of Covid-19 vaccinations Frontline account of standing up Covid hot hubs, home pulse oximetry and PCN vaccination sites, and why EMIS Enterprise searches disagreed with regional data on who needed the jab.

12 Jan 2021 AccuRx is good for vaccine booking.. LinkedIn Praises accuRx for vaccine booking but wants multi-site options, check-in and queue-management features.

16 Dec 2020 Our local PulseOx@home service run by the SouthCheshireValeRoyal GP Fed is now up and… LinkedIn A local COVID pulse-oximetry-at-home service, run by the South Cheshire and Vale Royal GP Federation using AccuRx.

15 Dec 2020 We have launched a whole series of videos aimed at teaching people Search and Reports in… LinkedIn Announces a free video series teaching Searches and Reports in EMIS Web and invites feedback from users.

8 Oct 2020 My latest digitalhealth column is out - is AccuRx about to take over the world? LinkedIn His DigitalHealth column surveying the GP IT market and whether AccuRx is on course to dominate it.

22 Sept 2020 Please watch my session at the EMIS conference on Thursday pm, on my thoughts on the… LinkedIn Invites viewers to watch his EMIS conference session setting out his thoughts on the future of primary-care IT.

27 Jul 2020 on www.howbeckhow2.co.uk we are giving free access to our learning videos to all NHS… LinkedIn Howbeckhow2 opens its healthcare IT training videos free to all NHS staff and invites suggestions for new topics to cover.

15 Jul 2020 Now Docman has gone down - for 5 practices locally that I know of - not sure if its a… LinkedIn Laments frequent IT outages after Docman goes down for five local practices, questioning reliability and NHS underinvestment.

13 Jul 2020 Loads of Surgeries in Cheshire without IT this PM - some BT network issue that took hours… LinkedIn A BT network fault leaves many Cheshire surgeries without IT, prompting reflection on resilience and EMIS's business continuity app.

23 May 2020 Followers of mine will know I've long been after a tool that would allow me to take a… LinkedIn Proposes an accuRx feature to capture patient photos straight into the record, comparing PhotoSAF and Consultant Connect.

23 May 2020 Nominating Chemists LinkedIn A gripe that temporarily switching a patient's nominated pharmacy in EMIS is far too fiddly, just as electronic nomination is being pushed hard to keep people out of surgeries.

22 May 2020 Video on AccuRx A pointer to a Howbeckhow2 screencast demonstrating AccuRx for SMS communication with patients, including its new one-time reply feature.

14 May 2020 These online reviews look really good from Medlink - planning on asking for a free trial… LinkedIn Flags Medlink's online consultation reviews as a more developed alternative to accuRx, and plans a free trial for his practice and PCN.

14 May 2020 These online reviews look really good from Medlink - planning on asking for a free trial… LinkedIn Flags Medlink's online consultation tool as a more developed accuRx alternative worth trialling.

22 Apr 2020 Working from home! A GP's lockdown home-working setup compared: VPNs versus VMware Horizon virtual desktops, X-on's GP@home for masked calls, and a Nye Health video link that diagnosed chicken pox.

15 Apr 2020 I've done another demo video this time on AccuRx and their reply with a photo… LinkedIn Shares a demo video of AccuRx's reply-with-photo feature and promotes the Howbeckhow2 online training site for primary-care systems.

1 Apr 2020 Just came across an issue - using AccuRx for video (I believe iPlato's new version is… LinkedIn Describes a video-consultation snag with a temporary resident on VDI and how the Nye Health app saved the appointment.

1 Apr 2020 Just came across an issue - using AccuRx for video (I believe iPlato's new version is… LinkedIn Recounts a video-consultation glitch with AccuRx on VDI for a temporary resident, solved by switching to Nye Health.

1 Apr 2020 Lot of people talking about a lot of home visits being needed to be done by hot teams… LinkedIn Argues COVID home-visiting 'hot teams' need cleanable mobile devices running EMIS Mobile that work with or without signal.

14 Mar 2020 Been playing with the new accuRx video functionality for general practices. LinkedIn Reviews accuRx's browser-based video consultations, praising screen sharing, multi-party rooms and its Covid screening tool.

7 Mar 2020 More Florey more LinkedIn A quick note praising accuRx's Florey questionnaires, describing how a progesterone-only pill check form avoids appointments and urging the same for combined pills.

3 Mar 2020 Had a great online demo from @Miles Carter from Ardens today - really like their product… LinkedIn An online demo of Ardens convinces Neil to have his PCN buy it, citing time savings, quality and practice productivity gains.

23 Feb 2020 ACCURX Video Consult LinkedIn A quick hands-on test of accuRx's new video consult module, praising its no-install link-based setup over iPlato while noting the drawbacks of running it on a personal phone.

23 Oct 2019 Docman 10 is trying to become artificially intelligent! Backs Docman 10's project with the University of Manchester to train an AI on real letters to work out which need a GP's attention, and urges practices to sign up.

26 Sept 2019 Partnership working Argues PCNs should standardise clinical systems, share back-office staff and join up networks — and that EPRs must let staff work across multiple practices at once.

23 Sept 2019 Seeing one record / Sharing data nightmares A rant on record-sharing contradictions: no way to grant access to a single patient's record, stale sharing agreements, staff snooping and the burden of redacting notes.

23 Aug 2019 The Power of GP Federations Showcases what his 29-practice federation delivers at scale: a shared GDPR service, practice websites, IT trainers, cloud dictation with Lexacom, a Technomed ECG service and peer-reviewed referrals.

6 Jul 2019 On primary care networks and IT upgrades Early days of PCNs: missing data-sharing agreements, network-level analytics with Apex, a transformative Windows 10 hardware refresh, and whether pooled Lexacom typing could work across practices.

6 Jun 2019 If you are a GP practice and haven't heard of or tried AccuRx's Chain SMS - look it up -… LinkedIn Recommends AccuRx's Chain SMS to GP practices as a free and effective way to text patients.

11 Dec 2018 Docman 10 is trying to recruit practices to join its AI experiment to reduce GP workload… LinkedIn Encourages practices to join Docman 10's AI experiment to cut GP document workload, since more data improves the AI.

22 Nov 2018 Things my IT could do better – 2 A detailed rant on EMIS prescribing: unintelligent warnings, grey drug lists, clunky personally administered drug workflows, shared inboxes and unsynced repeat medications.

22 Nov 2018 Please connect EMIS to Outlook/NHS mail LinkedIn A plea for an app that syncs EMIS surgery session times into Outlook or NHSmail calendars, so portfolio GPs can answer meeting invitations without logging into their clinical system.

24 Oct 2018 Conference season Compares three autumn 2018 events — a lacklustre EMIS NUG, a start-up panel frustrated by NHS procurement, and the BCS primary care group — with PatientLeaf's UI the standout product.

23 Oct 2018 Hire your own trainer? How a GP federation locality used non-recurrent funding to employ its own IT trainer with EMIS and Docman expertise, and why other areas should copy the idea.

22 Oct 2018 Things my IT could do better – 1 A rant about the EMIS results screen: no result history table, no medications or recent consultations in view, and an over-eager default SMS that fires before all results are checked.

22 Sept 2018 Docman needs Alerts! Calls for patient-level alerts in Docman so safety-trained GPs spot serious adverse events among trial participants' letters, citing the workarounds the Salford Lung Study had to use.

7 Sept 2018 EMIS NUG Impressions from the 2018 EMIS National User Group conference in Birmingham: a thin theme, an intriguing Epson inkjet pitch, and Patient Leaf's fresh dashboard UI on top of EMIS.

23 Aug 2018 EMIS NUG Impressions from day one of the 2018 EMIS NUG conference in Birmingham: a thin theme, an Epson inkjet cost pitch, and Patient Leaf's dashboard UI over EMIS as the standout.

22 Aug 2018 Things EMIS could do better A running index of suggested EMIS improvements, linking to posts on the results screen, the prescribing screen and EMIS Mobile, with an open invitation to add more.

14 Aug 2018 Online training tool needed for EPRs Argues primary care needs a structured competency framework and certified online training for EMIS and other EPRs, since most staff learn the systems by trial and error.

10 Aug 2018 My latest DigitalHealth.net column is out https://lnkd.in/etDzg2h' LinkedIn His DigitalHealth.net column arguing that proper EPR training is central to getting value from practice IT systems.

23 Jul 2018 Healthy.io Does Accurate Urine testing A look at Healthy.io's smartphone-camera urine dipstick reader, with use cases from care home self-testing for UTIs to automated EPR entry — plus memories of his own iTenniselbow app.

21 Jul 2018 Docman 10 has some interesting Enterprise features LinkedIn Notes from a meeting with Docman's Sean Foster on Docman 10, whose cloud design lets federation or neighbouring-practice staff process documents across sites.

5 Jul 2018 Please connect EMIS to Outlook/NHS mail LinkedIn A plea for an app that syncs EMIS surgery session times into Outlook or NHSmail calendars, so portfolio GPs can respond to meeting invites without opening the clinical system.

15 Jun 2018 A feature I’d like to see in EMIS (or other primary care EPRs) LinkedIn Wishes EMIS offered a live waiting-room list of outstanding QOF actions, so a healthcare assistant could catch waiting patients for blood pressures and smoking status.

13 Jun 2018 Should my primary care EPR include a widget that tracks (or suggests) a differential diagnosis? Argues GP records should track a working differential diagnosis — showing what has been ruled in or out and why — rather than bare codes of uncertain provenance, and questions the SOAP model.

7 Jun 2018 EMIS protocols & QMasters are great! LinkedIn Praises EMIS Web protocols and QMasters' background tools that correct bad coding as you type, and floats an open-source GitHub-style repository of useful protocols.

4 Jun 2018 Do we need a NHS Primary care EPR UI Hackday? Argues EMIS's text-heavy templates and summary screens need radical rethinking, and calls for a hack day pairing clinicians with UI designers from outside healthcare.

25 May 2018 Is it time to open up the UI of the GP EPR? Is it time for an app store? Argues GPs should be able to choose their EPR front end, with specialist-built screens and app-store-style add-ons competing to replace dated interfaces like EMIS's palliative care view.

24 May 2018 I need a desktop App to report IT issues After a locality meeting full of complaints about Docman and EMIS crashes, proposes a one-click desktop app for reporting IT faults so helpdesks get real failure statistics.

23 May 2018 Could a new feature in EMIS/Sunquest ICE save the NHS >£1.5 Million a year? Argues that letting Sunquest ICE batch-print test forms for a whole clinic list would free hours of admin time across practices, and asks why end users have so little influence on EPR features.

22 May 2018 Can AI deliver a Smarter Problem based Past Medical History and Improve Prescribing? Argues GP problem lists are a coding mess and that AI trained on millions of records could tidy them, link medications to indications and flag data-quality gaps automatically.

22 May 2018 Healthy.io Does Accurate Urine testing A first look at Healthy.io, which uses a smartphone camera and colour-reference board to read urine dipsticks accurately, with use cases in care homes and recurrent UTI self-testing.

21 May 2018 More thoughts on use of AI in healthcare - better coding in the EPR! Suggests AI could fix variable clinical coding in GP records — prompting missed codes, extracting codes from free text, and even transcribing consultations into coded entries.

14 May 2018 Q Doctor unlike some appear to be working with general practice and have some great… LinkedIn Praises video consultation service Q Doctor for working with general practice, offering hourly rates and recording into the local EPR.

11 May 2018 Does EMIS Web need new functionality to meet the Working at Scale agenda & to maintain being the system of choice as GPs get bigger and work together Argues EMIS lacks a federated multi-practice view for shared reception, triage, typing and cross-organisation searches, and that this gap is holding back working at scale.

10 May 2018 Could a new feature in EMIS/Sunquest ICE save the NHS >£1.5 Million a year? Argues that letting staff batch-print Sunquest ICE blood forms for a whole clinic list would save admin time across thousands of practices, and asks why users have so little sway over EPRs.

4 May 2018 Personal Productivity - Portrait Monitors and Dual Screens LinkedIn Practical productivity advice for GPs: dual monitors are cheap and transformative, and swivelling one into portrait mode fits a whole Docman letter without scrolling.

27 Apr 2018 More EMIS wishes Suggests improvements to the EMIS appointments module: default to the patient's usual doctor for continuity, show recent consultations, and better cross-organisation booking.

27 Apr 2018 its time for my weekly thoughts on how to improve EMIS. LinkedIn Links to a blog post setting out further wishlist ideas for improving the EMIS clinical system.

23 Apr 2018 Alivecors - great but a better app might be nice Praises the AliveCor Kardia ECG device but argues its patient-focused app makes filing traces into GP records painful, calling for a custom NHS version.

23 Apr 2018 Why wont EMIS let me search across shared data? Shows how EMIS searches ignore shared community records — a palliative care report missed data on half its patients — and asks for a simple 'include shared data' option without paying for Enterprise S&R.

19 Apr 2018 Disaster Recovery - UPS devices and More Practical tips for keeping a GP practice running through power cuts: UPS devices on key PCs, charged laptops with EMIS, remote desktop access and printed patient summaries.

16 Apr 2018 More thoughts on EMIS Mobile Follow-up review of EMIS Mobile listing needed fixes: Touch ID logins, a better home-visit assignment workflow, bulk download of care home residents and redesigned data entry templates.

16 Apr 2018 While I still think its great, it needs more development to be truly indispensable. LinkedIn Sets out his suggestions for developing EMIS Mobile into a tool clinicians would find genuinely indispensable.

6 Apr 2018 Things my IT could do better - 2 A detailed rant about EMIS prescribing: unintelligent pop-up warnings, grey unreadable drug lists, clunky PA drug handling, a shared inbox muddle and no way to sync repeat medications.

6 Apr 2018 Another end of the week reflection on where the UI of my main clinical system is sorely… LinkedIn An end-of-week reflection on how his clinical system's interface hampers safe working, asking for an improvement roadmap.

26 Mar 2018 Docman needs Alerts! Why Docman needs per-patient alerts: without them, GPs running clinical trials can miss the letters that trigger 24-hour serious adverse event reporting, as the Salford Lung Study found.

22 Mar 2018 My latest digitalhealth.net blog: conference season Compares a lacklustre EMIS National User Group with a school health-tech panel and the BCS Primary Health Care meeting, praising John Perry prize winner PatientLeaf's customisable UI over EMIS data.

21 Mar 2018 Things my IT could do better - 1 A rant about the EMIS results screen: too little information, no medication or consultation context alongside results, and default SMS messages that mislead patients.

19 Mar 2018 Just had a quick play and I'm seriously impressed. LinkedIn Reviews the new EMIS mobile app and considers tablets for home visits and nursing-home work.

19 Mar 2018 I'm loving the new Emis Mobile app An enthusiastic hands-on review of the matured EMIS Mobile app on iPad — full record access, offline mode, shared records and consultations — with a wish list including cross-organisation tasks.

12 Mar 2018 An innovative IT start-up based in London called AccuRx is adding a much needed feature… LinkedIn Highlights how London start-up AccuRx is adding a much-needed feature to EMIS Web, with a link to a fuller blog post.

12 Mar 2018 An innovative IT start-up based in London called AccuRx is adding a much needed feature to EMIS Web Reviews accuRx's free SMS add-on for EMIS Web, which lets GPs text patients directly with templates and record-keeping — a gap EMIS itself has never filled.

1 Mar 2018 EMIS Web for Community Pharmacists LinkedIn Welcomes EMIS software giving community pharmacists GP record access, seeing potential for meaningful medication reviews, drug monitoring and chronic disease management.

23 Feb 2018 Personal Productivity – Portrait Monitors and Dual Screens Practical advice on boosting GP productivity with dual monitors, and a reminder that cheap swivelling portrait-mode screens make reading Docman letters far easier.

7 Jun 2017 Another View: of the Cyberattack A first-hand account of the WannaCry ransomware attack hitting a GP surgery — flying blind by 5pm — and the case for backup kit, better patching and a more diverse NHS IT ecosystem.

18 Oct 2016 Another View: of Handling Letters On taking admin off GPs: practice pharmacists, medical assistants, a five-practice letter-processing hub saving GPs 40 minutes a day, and how cloud-based Docman 10 could enable shared admin teams.

23 Aug 2016 Another View: of Appointments, Texts and Email On the gaps in online GP services: prescription requests need separating, booking needs triage, and secure patient messaging via MJog, iPlato or beyond awaits proper IG safeguards.

21 Jun 2016 Quite a lot going on A round-up of local primary care IT: patient wi-fi, why video consultations aren't taking off, Horizon remote access, Slack trials, NHSmail woes and Technomed's reported ECG service.

6 Apr 2016 Funding Innovation On investors circling NHS IT without understanding it, and why clinicians' ideas need platform-style clinical systems, seed funding and Google-style 20% time to get built.

8 Mar 2016 IT Check-ups Findings from in-depth IT health checks across two GP federations: training by Chinese whispers, unused Docman and Lexacom features, and the case for federations employing IT teams.

11 Feb 2016 anyone know of a simple (CHEAP) app that will run on my desktop and allow me to text a… LinkedIn Seeks a cheap desktop app to text patients, ideally pulling their mobile number from EMIS Web via the NHS SMS gateway.

16 Dec 2015 Another View: of Progress (or Otherwise) A year-end whinge at GP IT's lack of progress: obsolete browsers and hardware, password overload, poor team messaging, glacial order comms and prescribing warnings that cry wolf.

2 Mar 2015 Another View: Mind the Gap On the 'implementation gap' in NHS IT: simple wins like EMIS EPR Viewer for a mental health consultant or remote access for GPs stall while university IT just works.

14 May 2014 Email a receptionist just sent me about Emis Web: Any news on a changing systems or… LinkedIn Shares a receptionist's frustrated email about EMIS Web problems - a broken touchscreen, no appointment slips and persistent slowness.

24 Mar 2014 Just informed EMIS Web is sticking for up to 20 secs everytime reception make an… LinkedIn Highlights EMIS Web freezing for up to 20 seconds per booking, costing the 700-appointments-a-day practice over three hours daily.

6 Mar 2014 2nd time in 2 weeks that EMIS Web has just stopped in the middle of a surgery 10 docs… LinkedIn Reports EMIS Web crashing mid-surgery for the second time in a fortnight, with ten doctors and a full waiting room.

5 Feb 2014 Another View: Twenty Eight Asks whether GP system suppliers should be broken up, separating patient data from the software that records it, and pins hopes on GPSoC2's mandated APIs to open the market.

11 Jul 2013 Another View: Twenty One GPs' gripes after upgrading to EMIS Web — a confusing tasks system, clunky medication requests and tiny fonts — plus password woes and a wish for automatic note redaction.

10 Apr 2013 Having my first play with EMIS mobile - just superb !!! LinkedIn Notes EMIS Mobile still needs development but shows how district nurses could work, with hopes pinned on a rumoured version two.

10 Apr 2013 First day with EMIS web - some annoyances and some flashes of brilliance - really missing… LinkedIn Gives first impressions of EMIS Web, mixing frustrations with highlights, chiefly the loss of familiar keyboard shortcuts.

10 Apr 2013 Upgrade to EMIS web went well today! LinkedIn Reports a smooth EMIS Web upgrade at the practice, with thanks to EMIS, Cheshire ICT and practice staff.

19 Mar 2013 Another View: Eighteen Defends Tim Kelsey's idea of teaching clinicians to code, arguing programming literacy helps users challenge IT departments, and calls for open APIs and macro tools in clinical systems.

12 Feb 2013 Free text messaging in EMIS web for appointments and results looks great - we are keen to… LinkedIn Welcomes EMIS Web's free appointment and results texting, noting the practice must first collect and validate patients' mobile numbers.

12 Feb 2013 really keen to beta test Qadmission from JHC(Qrisk) and EMIS if i can - should complement… LinkedIn Expresses eagerness to beta-test the QAdmission risk tool from JHC and EMIS, seeing it as a complement to the CCG's Eclipse system.

23 Jan 2013 Another View: Sixteen On the problems of GPs and district nurses using separate EMIS Web and Community Web systems: security, messaging, prescribing and reception headaches from a flawed procurement.

11 Dec 2012 Another View: Fifteen A first look at the EMIS Mobile app, arguing tablets could be a game changer for home visits, nursing home rounds and perhaps replacing the desktop PC.

13 Nov 2012 Another View: Fourteen Praises EMIS's electronic fit note and ICE order comms, asks why HGV medicals and insurance reports aren't automated too, and worries how many anonymised copies of GP data exist.

22 Feb 2012 Read code help needed' LinkedIn Asks colleagues which Read code marks patients on digoxin or amiodarone as appropriately treated but without atrial fibrillation.

14 Feb 2012 Another view: Four A round-up of practice IT developments: a postponed EMIS Web migration delaying ETP, NHSmail quota frustrations, USB stick rules, voice recognition pricing and a website upgrade.

7 Feb 2012 Quite a lot going on: a practice IT update GP magazine Rounds up a busy practice IT year, taking in a delayed EMIS Web migration, electronic prescribing plans, Docman trouble, NHSmail frustrations and a new website.

31 Jan 2012 It now looks like our upgrade to EMIS web has been delayed from last December to may 2013! LinkedIn Notes the practice's EMIS Web upgrade has slipped from December to May 2013 and questions the reason for the delay.

25 Jan 2012 For ages ive been complaining that the reason for a test isn't showing on our standard… LinkedIn Notes that EMIS Web has stopped showing the reason a test was requested, which he sees as a step backwards from EMIS LV.

10 Jan 2012 Another View: Three How a hunt for cholecalciferol exposed EMIS's unforgiving drug search and misspelt hospital letters, prompting calls for medical spell-checkers and electronic prescribing links from consultants.

8 Nov 2011 What is the cloud? GP magazine Explains software as a service in plain terms and weighs what cloud computing could mean for GP practices, from cheaper terminals to connection risks.

1 Jun 2011 From the consulting room: Making information free to be useful Microsoft NHS Resource Centre Sets out a vision for a tablet-based home-visit system with offline sync, and argues GP system suppliers should open their APIs to third-party add-ons as Apple and Facebook do.

8 Mar 2011 From the consulting room: A design democracy Microsoft NHS Resource Centre After a column prompted EMIS to promise local Read codes, suggests suppliers adopt Dropbox-style Votebox idea boards so users can propose and vote on features, and trials Ideascale for GP wish lists.

25 Feb 2011 Do you get the most from Microsoft Word? GP magazine Highlights underused Word features - styles, forms, medical dictionaries, AutoCorrect, AutoText and mail merge - that can save time in a busy practice.

8 Feb 2011 From the consulting room on EMIS Web Microsoft NHS Resource Centre On worries ahead of migrating to EMIS Web: rumours it drops local and associate codes threaten how practices track vasectomy follow-ups, research visits and referral activity.

5 Dec 2010 Getting your practice ready for EMIS Web GP magazine Practical advice on preparing practice staff for the switch to EMIS's new system, using scenario-based training rather than unstructured play.

22 Nov 2010 My verdict on Emis Web Impressions of EMIS Web at its launch event: faster receptionist workflows, macros and protocols look strong, with performance questions over hosting and N3's future.

18 Oct 2010 From the consulting room on local shared records schemes Microsoft NHS Resource Centre Advice from a project giving A&E and out-of-hours a view of the GP record via EMIS Web: name it honestly, verify consent, and let patients see who has accessed their notes.

15 Sept 2010 Another View: One On EMIS Web's roll-out approval and the confusion around data sharing agreements and patient consent, urging EMIS to produce clear guidance before a mess ensues.

20 Jul 2010 From the consulting room on Emis Web (first look) Microsoft NHS Resource Centre A first look at EMIS Web from its Reebok Stadium launch — impressed by faster workflows and protocols, with questions over hosting performance, N3 and partners like Docman.

8 May 2010 Had a play with an iPad yesterday! LinkedIn A PCTI proof-of-concept demo of Docman running on an iPad sparks enthusiasm for tablets in general practice.

25 Nov 2009 Five Priorities for Primary Care IT Sets out five local priorities agreed with Cheshire ICT: reliable desktops, better telephony, electronic documents both ways between hospitals and GPs, and structured training.

22 Oct 2009 How Swine Flu affected our IT How the 2009 swine flu outbreak forced doctors into shared downstairs rooms, exposing slow logins and making the case for remote desktops, fast user switching and macros.

2 Sept 2009 How CfH could make my Day Applies 'nudge' theory to NHS Connecting for Health, arguing single sign-on and a unified master inbox for a GP's dozen message streams would win over users better than mandates.

9 Jun 2009 Our Website could do so much more. A 2009 call for practices to reclaim their websites: single log-in front doors offering tailored patient information, data capture, phone-queue status and hospital links.

1 Jun 2009 Review: Nuance's Dragon 10 Medical GP magazine A hands-on review of Nuance's Dragon 10 Medical voice recognition software, weighing impressive dictation against poor integration with GP systems.

27 Jul 2008 Numed Capture: patient photos straight into your clinical system GP magazine An early look at Numed's Capture, a desktop camera that saves annotated patient photos directly into EMIS, tested in dermatology and the leg ulcer clinic.

2 Jun 2008 Why can't we access patient records on home visits? GP magazine Asks why, despite billions spent on NHS IT, GPs still cannot reliably reach records when visiting their most vulnerable patients, and recounts a mixed trial of a 3G laptop.

25 Feb 2008 The Frustrations of GP E-mail A 2008 rant about NHS email overload: pointless all-staff messages, badly handled attachments, too many inboxes, NHSmail's limits and the case for proper training.

2 Nov 2007 From the consulting room on keeping stuff up to date Microsoft NHS Resource Centre On the chaos of software patching in a 2007 GP practice — EMIS, Frontdesk, Docman and Office all updating differently — and a call for a standard, automated NHS update process.

30 Oct 2007 Docman: document management that just works GP magazine A review of Docman v7, describing how one practice scans, routes and codes hospital letters electronically and uses the system as a practice intranet.

27 Sept 2007 What do you want from your IT? GP magazine A call for GPs to say what they want from their practice IT, with a wish list including working voice recognition and electronic hospital letters.

11 Oct 2005 Why go to the EMIS user group conference? GP magazine A report from the EMIS National User Group conference explaining what a practice gains from attending, including news of the planned move to PCS web.

10 May 2005 Choose and Book: my first impressions GP magazine An early adopter's candid account of the NHS e-booking system - the training, the clunky software and the practical headaches of going live.

9 May 2004 Switching from EMIS LV to FrontDesk for Windows GP magazine Reports on a practice's first months after swapping the EMIS LV appointment book for FrontDesk, covering training, LED call boards, home visits and reports.

3 Jun 2003 Beta testing the new EMIS Access module GP magazine Reports on a practice's experience beta testing EMIS Access, covering patient registration, security, online appointment booking and early patient feedback.

18 Mar 2003 ViewMed: getting investigation reports into the record without paper GP magazine Compares virtual printer drivers, including Numed's ViewMed, for filing ECG, spirometry and ambulatory blood pressure reports straight into GP clinical systems.

23 Jun 2002 Accessing your practice network from home GP magazine A guide to dialling into the practice network from home in the pre-broadband era, covering RAS, security tokens, dial-back and NHSnet access.

20 May 2002 A brief guide to using rules in Outlook GP magazine Explains how Outlook's rules wizard can sort incoming mail into folders, auto-forward messages and cut down on interruptions during surgery.

20 May 2002 My top ten tips in EMIS GP magazine Shares keyboard shortcuts and settings picked up over two years of daily EMIS LV use, covering practice notes, appointments, prescribing and lab results.