Patients will be able to consult with their GP using a smartphone and monitor their conditions via mobile apps, as part of a Welsh government strategy. There will be more opportunity to book appointments online while people will be able to access their health records over the internet. NHS staff will also be expected to use mobile devices to access, collect and transmit data quickly. Plaid Cymru welcomed the plan, but warned it would take time to introduce. Ministers want to put digital technology "at the heart" of NHS care. Under the five-year strategy, people in Wales can expect to: Free Wi-Fi will also be made available at all NHS Wales hospital sites for patients, visitors and staff to use. Launching the new strategy, Health Minister Mark Drakeford said digital technology was now "an important part of our everyday lives". "Our vision is for more interactive, personalised health and social services, allowing people to access services wherever and whenever it's convenient to them." He said patients are often the experts in their own conditions and giving them more control over their care and access to their records could help improve their health. Tony Rucinski, chief executive of the Board of Community Health Councils, which look after the interests of patients, called the strategy's aspirations "really exciting", but said getting "an awful lot of different organisations" to work together on it would be a "challenge". "We've got dense population bases, we've got rural communities, we've got challenges where people find it difficult to access healthcare, there are ideas and technologies out there that could transform that, free up resources and get the whole thing working so much better, that's got to be a good thing," he said. Plaid Cymru AM Llyr Gruffydd urged ministers to make clear it would take a "long, long time" to make such changes, although he added they would ultimately mean a "more effective service" for patients. Conservative Shadow Health Minister Darren Millar said: "Anything that improves access to GPs and other medical services is desperately needed in Wales but outcomes will only improve if the services are there in the first place." Do you like this story? If so, head over to our Facebook page and join today's debate.
Digital technology will be ‘at the heart’ of NHS care according to the Welsh Government’s five-year health strategy, which includes patients being able to consult their GPs and book appointments using smart phones, access their own health records via the internet and monitor their health using mobile apps and wearable devices. NHS staff will also be encouraged to use mobiles to access, collect and transmit patient data faster and more effectively. Mark Drakeford, the Health Minister who is helping launch the new strategy said "digital technology was now an important part of our everyday lives." The plan has been welcomed by many in Wales, with a number of organisations including the National Assembly for Wales calling on the Government to make it compulsory for all public sector bodies to have some form of