Frome Medical Practice is starting a series of digital health pop up sessions, to complement its existing programme of support available to patients needing help with using health related technology. The new pop up sessions will be held at different venues around town and come ahead of changes to the way patients can book appointments at the practice from 21st September (read more about this here.) 

The practice has been holding digital health drop In sessions and a digital cafe for several months now. Veronique Segura, the Digital Health Connector at the practice, said "Our digital health drop in sessions and the digital cafe are going really well. We've been able to support patients with a range of issues, from installing the NHS App on their phones to getting registered to use it. We've fixed some more complex issues with technical glitches and, with the help of local company Donate IT, we've been able to provide people who need them with refurbished devices free of charge. We're now taking our digital health sessions out into more venues across the town as a pop up, where we hope to engage with even more patients who might need our help with using digital technology to help improve their health and wellbeing." 

The practice recently announced that from 21st September it will be offering a new way to request appointments, via an online form on their website. This follows on from a recent change that made routine appointments available to book via the NHS App. 

Gareth Hannam is the Digital Transformation Lead at the practice and said, "The NHS App is an important part of a national drive towards improving digital access to health care, and we want to ensure all our patients are getting the best out of the new technology. Patients generally find the app easy to use, but we are here to support any of our patients that need help, and our team will also be available to answer questions or concerns about the improvements that are coming from late September. You can use the NHS App to book routine appointments, such as blood tests, view your medical record, or arrange repeat prescriptions."

Details of upcoming sessions and how they can support patients registered with Frome Medical Practice are as follows.

Digital Health Sessions 

Digital Health Sessions are held at regular times at Frome Medical Practice and also as pop ups at various venues around Frome. Patients registered with Frome Medical Practice who need help with anything to do with using technology to support their health, for example, installing the NHS App, registering to use the App, use of other health apps, and (from 21st September) using the new online system to request appointments at the practice are welcome to drop in to these sessions, with no appointments needed. 

The drop in sessions at the practice take place in the Live Well room (glass fronted office on left hand side of the main atrium) every Tuesday from 10.00am - 12.00pm and every Thursday from 4.00pm - 6.00pm.

The new pop up sessions will be held at Frome Library, Sainsbury's, Asda and Frome Leisure on rotation on a Tuesday. Dates for August are:

• Tuesday 1st August, 1.00pm - 3.00pm Frome Library
• Tuesday 8th August, 1.00pm - 3.00pm Asda, Frome
• Tuesday 15th August 1.00pm - 3.00pm Sainsbury's, Frome
• Tuesday 22nd August 3.00pm - 5.00pm Frome Leisure Centre

Further dates are scheduled for September through to December. Please visit the practice website for more information.

Digital Cafe 

Members of the practice team, along with colleagues from Spark Somerset, are available at the digital cafe to help people with any 'digital' or online queries they need support with, for example using a mobile phone or laptop, accessing information online and using apps. 

These sessions take place in the cafe at the Cheese and Grain, every Thursday from 10.00am - 11.30am.

More details about the digital support offered by the practice, the NHS App and improvements to the way patients can book appointments from 21st September are available on the practice website here.