myGP – the UK’s largest independent healthcare management app that connects patients with primary care – has released the UK’s first vaccine certification technology for iOS users (Android to follow in the coming weeks). The myGP TICKet feature, accessed within the myGP app, displays whether a patient is sufficiently protected from COVID-19 by surfacing a simple green tick around a user photo 12 days following the second vaccine dose. This feature acts as a clinically assured means of proving one’s vaccination status, displayed in real-time, and generated directly from a patient’s medical record. It was piloted by Barchester Healthcare and Lilian Faithful care homes in March and will be rolling out across all platforms from today.
The myGP app is developed by Hammersmith-based iPLATO Healthcare. Currently available to patients at 97 percent of England’s GP practices, myGP has worked hand in glove with the NHS as an assured supplier, meaning the app is already an NHS-approved access point for more than two million patients in England. Allowing patients direct and secure access to their medical records. The app also permits the request of repeat prescriptions, booking GP appointments, health tracking, and gives access to other complementary healthcare services. More than 200,000 people in England have accessed their medical records via the app in the last two months alone.
Hillary Cannon, Director of the myGP TICKet Innovation, comments: “In 2019, we became an NHS-assured provider of digital health services, so have been giving our users access to their own medical records for years. Recognising the likelihood that a user may need, or indeed want, to demonstrate their vaccination status, we developed this feature to isolate just vaccination information, whilst keeping confidential the rest of the information contained within the medical record. All access is controlled by the patient, and nothing is stored or displayed without a user’s explicit consent.”
We all know that lockdowns and social distancing have brought live events, restaurants, and the hospitality sector – all of our most beloved industry sectors – to their knees. So It has been a passion project of mine to reopen these businesses at capacity, or as close as possible to it, as soon as possible. The real beauty of this technology is that it is universal and available to everyone registered at a GP surgery in England.’
Economic recovery alongside, not vs, patient privacy.
The issues facing businesses of all sizes – particularly in the arts, live events, and hospitality sectors – throughout the last year of lockdowns and social distancing-related restrictions on capacity are well-documented. myGP, and technologies like it, are on a mission to get these businesses back to capacity as quickly and safely as possible. Though government guidance on COVID-Status certification is still unclear, it is believed that a combination of negative test results and vaccination proof will form the basis of what the government is likely to recommend. As such, iPLATO Healthcare has signed an agreement with V-Health Passport, with the intention of evolving the myGP TICKet into a joint solution which incorporates proof of vaccination status, COVID test results, antibody test results, and proof of vaccine-exemption.
The current events research programme, being run by the government, is trialling and observing a number of factors over a series of live events ahead of the expected reopening of live events planned for June 21st; including proof of vaccination and/or negative test results. myGP, in discussion with Harlequins Rugby, are keen to pilot the combined myGP TICKet/V-Health solution in the hope of returning live rugby to at-capacity matches as soon as possible.
Laurie Dalrymple, CEO at The Harlequins, explained that Harlequins hope to pilot the myGP TICKet in the future. He comments on how the technology could be game-changing for getting sports venues up to full attendance sooner:
“The current social distancing rules mean that most professional sports clubs and event venues will struggle to get up to 50% capacity, which in reality is not a financially viable business model. We are therefore very keen to look at all types of innovative solutions which could help safely support the return of greater number of fans to stadiums.
“The myGP app looks like an interesting technological solution and we are interested in collaborating to promote this new tool to our supporters in the future. This would be entirely optional for our supporters – those that would like to download the app and show their vaccination status on entry for example, can do so to help test the technology in a live environment. Any supporter attending who would prefer not to, will not be obliged to.
The myGP app, created in 2014, is an NHS-assured provider of online access to primary care medical services. They were granted NHS assurance in 2019, certifying them as a secure and recognised place for patients to access healthcare services, including medical record access. The myGP TICKet feature Is available only if requested by the patient, and has been self-funded by iPLATO Healthcare ltd, the developers of the app.
NHS patients can learn more about the myGP TICKet feature technology here: www.myGP.com/ticket. Businesses owners interested in using the new feature to get back to capacity can email mygpticket@mypg.com for free advice and information.