NHS Bristol fights Smoking with iPLATO Healthcare

London, 05 November 2009, Bristol residents have been benefiting from receiving GP Appointment Reminders and Health Promotion information on their mobile phones via text message. Over 90% of GP Surgeries in NHS Bristol signed up for the iPLATO text messaging solution to address important public health concerns, in particular smoking prevalence, via GP-led SMS Health Promotion campaigns.

NHS Bristol offered the iPLATO Patient Care Messaging (PCM) platform to their GP surgeries after evaluating the benefits of using mobile technology as a targeted and highly responsive way of engaging with smokers.  Where PCM has been used in PCT’s elsewhere, an effective communication channel for health information has been established.

More than half of the surgeries in NHS Bristol participated in this campaign. They reached, on average, an amazing 73% delivery rate to their target group. The surgeries also achieved an average 50% response rate, which is extremely high when compared to other forms of direct marketing.

The iPLATO Patient Care Messaging system works by integrating with the GPs’ clinical system where patient records are stored. Surgeries can use the clinical information they hold to target SMS supported Health Promotion text campaigns to specific patient groups.

All the participating surgeries in NHS Bristol using iPLATO’s Patient Care Messaging for these Smoking Cessation initiatives, are receiving comprehensive support from iPLATO’s Outcome Delivery Team, ensuring all GP surgeries benefit from both the experience and best practice techniques gained through the support of similar initiatives elsewhere in the UK.

Sue Roberts, Information Governance Manager, Southmead and Henbury Family Practice, NHS Bristol said, “We decided to use iPLATO text messaging solution because it has proven to be a successful means to support smoking initiatives in other surgeries. We are committed to using every way possible to help our population to quit smoking and this innovative service does that. We have also found that this service has the potential of saving time and administration costs.”

To achieve optimal uptake of this free service, surgeries encourage their patients to hand in and update their mobile contact details.   With an estimated 85% of the UK adult population owning a mobile phone, the participating surgeries have the opportunity to reach a significant number of their population through this scheme.

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Notes for Editors:

About NHS Bristol

NHS Bristol is responsible for local NHS health services in Bristol, UK, taking over from the previous Bristol South and West and Bristol North PCTs. We cover a population of around 400,000 and have a budget of over £600 million. Services include GP practices, pharmacies, dentists, opticians, a range of community nursing and therapy services are supplied by Bristol Community Health. We also refund the NHS hospitals when you are treated in them.

Press contact:

Lawrie Jones

Lawrie.jones@bristolpct.nhs.uk

About iPLATO:

iPLATO Healthcare is a London based innovation company dedicated to mobile health since 2006.  iPLATO’s evidence based mobile health solutions have proven to improve patient access to healthcare, to enable powerful health promotion targeted at people at risk and to support people with long term conditions.

Serving millions of patients and thousands of healthcare professionals every day iPLATO has emerged as the leader in mobile health. Across this network the company is running campaigns to promote smoking cessation, weight loss, childhood immunisation and pandemic awareness as well as mobile disease management services for people with diabetes, hypertension, epilepsy and HIV.

iPLATO Healthcare’s mission is to, in partnership with healthcare professionals and provider organisations, support patients in achieving longer, healthier lives.

Press Contact:

Julia Hanley

Julia.Hanley@iplato.net

One Lyric Square

London

W6 0NB

www.iplato.net