Services Development and Coding Manager Jane Ennis suggested the iPad to make Emergency Department visits easier for patients from the EEA
The Royal Bournemouth Hospital has installed an iPad in its Emergency Department (ED) to help patients from Europe find their health insurance information quickly and easily.
In the same way UK residents must show a European Health Insurance Card to claim free medical treatment when visiting other countries in the European Economic Area (EEA), patients visiting the UK from the within the EEA should be able to show they have the correct insurance cover from their government to claim free NHS treatment.
Mounted on the wall next to the ED reception, the touchscreen tablet is permanently linked to a user-friendly app with easily identifiable pictures and a choice of 29 languages, helping patients to explain their health insurance information clearly to hospital staff.
Alex Lister, ED Directorate Manager, explained: “An emergency visit to hospital can be a confusing experience, let alone if you are visiting from overseas. The iPad is part of making sure our patients have as stress-free a visit to us as possible.”
Coding Manager Jane Ennis, who deals with the paperwork for patients from overseas, suggested the iPad. She said: “While patients will always receive safe, timely, high-quality treatment at our Emergency Department, regardless of being able to show health insurance documents, the process of getting health insurance information early makes the discharge process much easier for patients in the long term.”
For more information about treatment at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, visit: www.rbch.nhs.uk
Services Development and Coding Manager Jane Ennis suggested the iPad to make Emergency Department visits easier for patients from the EEA
