ALSAGER residents can access their own hospital records after the enhancement of a popular NHS app.

MyCareView, a secure online system, allows anyone registered with a GP to have greater control over their patient records. Approximately 80,000 people across the borough have already downloaded the NHS App to book GP appointments, share their NHS COVID Pass and access their GP records.

Now they will be able to view hospital-related letters and appointments, adding their own measurements and sharing their information with family or anyone involved in their care.

It is a secure, easy-to-use smartphone app, which can also be accessed via the NHS login on a tablet or computer.

The project is part of a collaboration between Cheshire East Council, the Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and the Cheshire East Partnership. The primary objective is to put patients at the centre of their care and provide the tools to help them take control of their own health and wellbeing.

Cheshire East Director of Public Health Dr Matt Tyrer, said: "This collaboration is all about giving control to patients, empowering them to make the right decisions and to interact with health and care services in ways that work for them.

"It is giving residents a choice. I also believe that this can ultimately take away a lot of the stress experienced by some people when sharing personal information and could allow families to support each other better."

Dr Ian Hulme, a GP at Meadowside Medical Centre in Congleton, said: "Many of my patients already use the NHS App; and it makes it so much easier for them to do the simple things like reordering a repeat prescription, or booking an appointment to see me or one of my colleagues.

"With the MyCareView patients can also see hospital appointments and letters, track their symptoms or add measurements such as blood pressure to their record. It will make life so much easier for patients and for those of us who care for them."

Both Leighton Hospital in Crewe and Macclesfield District General Hospital are using MyCareView to share health information, which means that patients can have confidence that their details are secure, accurate and up-to-date.

Dr Mark Nicol, an emergency consultant at East Cheshire NHS Trust, said: "Having your GP record and hospital letters securely available on your smartphone is brilliant and so convenient. It's also changing the way we provide care to our patients."

Getting started with the NHS App with MyCareView is simple. Just download the NHS App for either iOS or Android and follow the on-screen instructions to get started.

You can download MyCareView here.