An imaginative project to tackle health inequalities has won the IMS MAXIMS sponsored category for the best use of social media at the EHI Awards 2011. NHS Sefton, on Merseyside, is pioneering the use of digital TV and web-enabled mobiles to give the easiest, and broadest possible access to health information and services. The project even allows some patients to order repeat prescriptions, or book GP appointments, over their television sets and phones.
Shane Tickell, CEO of IMS MAXIMS, said: "One of the biggest challenges facing the NHS is the need to tackle health inequalities by ensuring that everybody has the same access to services and information. NHS Sefton really deserves our congratulations for this project because it clearly recognises the growing importance of modern digital communications and entertainment systems for achieving this goal. I would very much like to see services of this kind spring up all round the country as they can provide a valuable way for the health service to build strong links with hard-to-reach groups.
"This is the first year that the EHI Awards have included a social media in healthcare category and I believe it is a really valuable addition to this prestigious annual event. We were very pleased to sponsor this category and I was genuinely impressed by the projects that were entered. They help demonstrate the enormous range of talent which exists in the NHS and illustrate how it can be used to make the latest technology work for patients."
The primary care trust, in partnership with service providers Looking Local, has made information from its own website, from local public and third sector organisations, and from national partners such as NHS Choices, available in new ways.
David Hammond, Acting Engagement and Communications Manager and one of the Looking Local project team at the trust, said: "Many people in socially disadvantaged areas, who could really benefit from better access to health services and information, don’t have ready access to the internet on home computers. This can be a real issue as so much is becoming web-based. Our Looking Local project deals with this by letting people access the information and services they need by using their TV sets or mobile phones."
The project went live in early 2010 and user numbers have been rapidly increasing. One of its appeals is that it puts health information alongside other popular content, like local job vacancies.
About IMS MAXIMS
IMS MAXIMS specialises in developing clinical and administrative software solutions and currently supports more than 100 organisations and 10,000 users of IMS MAXIMS products. To find out more about IMS MAXIMS and its products visit www.imsmaxims.com.
About NHS Sefton and Looking Local
For more about NHS Sefton and Looking Local visit www.lookinglocal.gov.uk
About the ehi awards
This is the fifth annual EHI Awards, and is organised by E-Health Insider in association with BT. The winners were announced at a gala evening on Thursday 6 October 2011 at the Grand Connaught Rooms in central London. To find out more visit www.ehealthawards.com.