Welcome to May

MLCSU Academy – New IT Training Dates available

Our IT training courses have been updated and are now ready to deliver to you. Dates have been added to the MLCSU Academy for May and June 2024 for MS Office, MS Teams, NHSmail and much more.

Why not take a peek at what is available and book a place via the MLCSU Academy Portal – Training Dates

Important Changes to e-RS

EMIS-X - What is it?

🆕 NEW FEATURE

From Monday 20th May you will now be able to see patient allergies in the Patient Banner (up to 6 allergies).

Cervical Screening Management System CSMS

The new Cervical Screening Management System (CSMS) is preparing to launch - once live Open Exeter will no longer be accessible for NHS Cervical Screening Programme purposes.

There are several key actions all users must complete:

1. Check your access
2. Complete training
3. Check email address

For more details, check out the ML Academy guide here

Should you have any questions or require further assistance, please contact the CSMS Implementation Team at screening.implementation@nhs.net

NHS App Updates

Continue to consider how you can promote the use of the NHS App for your patients and how it can help take the strain of some every day activities in practice.

• New YouTube NHS App walk through videos - These step-by-step videos aimed at patients on how to use the NHS App are now available.
• Register online with a GP Practice - this service is available for patients to register with a GP practice via the NHS App. Find out more how this service can benefit your practice
• The NHS App Dashboard allows you to track sign ups, logins, appointment bookings and cancellations, record views and repeat prescription requests for your region, ICB, sub-ICB, PCN and GP practice over varying periods of time to see the effect of your events and promotional efforts.

NHS App messaging saves over £1m

Messages sent to millions of patients via the NHS App have saved the NHS £1.1million based on the cost of previously sending the information via text message in the last year.

During 2023/24, approximately 22.5 million messages were sent through the NHS App, which would have previously been sent as a text message or letter. The average cost of sending a text message is around 5p, representing a saving of at least £1.1 million.

People who switch on notifications in the NHS App have their messages automatically sent through the app, which avoids the cost of sending a text message, is more secure, and puts all patient NHS messages in one place.

New features are being added to the NHS App regularly, as the NHS encourages more people to use the app in their everyday lives.

See the ML Guide on being SMS Smart (inc. how to enable NHS App messaging) or follow the link to find out more about NHS App messaging

**NEW** Emis Web Clinician New Starter User Guides

SystmOne - Send longer SMS messages

When sending SMS messages from SystmOne (for example via the Communications Annexe) the default is that a single message can contain a maximum of 306 characters. This may mean that longer messages are split and a patient may receive them in the wrong order creating confusion. You can now send messages up to 1400 characters in length by making some changes to your configuration.  

TPP have created a guide which is available from the noticeboard on the home page in SystmOne, by clicking on View All and selecting the documents tab (17 Apr 2024 – SMS Improvements).

Accessibility for public sector websites, intranets and shared documents

What is happening with accessibility?

Following government legislation, public sector organisations have a duty to ensure all content that they produce meets government outlined accessibility criteria.

This includes all websites, intranets, apps, PDFs, MS Office documents, images and videos.

For more information and details on the creating accessible content course please visit our Accessibility Information and Guides page on the MLCSU Academy.

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Level Up

Ready to level up your tech game? We're constantly developing fresh training resources and tips - from mastering new software to streamlining workflows. Got a burning IT question or topic you'd love to see covered? Don't be shy! We thrive on your feedback.

Connect with your IT Training Team (North)! We're just a click away on the Academy Portal, or you can reach us directly using the details below. Remember, you've got a dedicated trainer just for your practice in Lancashire or Cheshire - if you're not sure who it is, just give us a shout!

P.S Want to stay in the loop on all things IT training? Join our mailing list by clicking the link! 

Meet the MLCSU IT Training Team 

Our IT Training Team is here to support GP practice staff in the NHS by providing expert-led training on the latest healthcare technologies.

Our team is made up of experienced professionals who have a deep understanding of the unique needs and challenges faced by GP practices. We offer a range of training options, including in-person sessions, online courses, and one-on-one coaching, to ensure that our training is accessible and tailored to the needs of each practice.

With our support, GP practice staff will be equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to confidently use technology to improve patient care and streamline their daily workflows.

Contact your practice's designated trainer for more details.