Lakeside to swap Doctrin online patient platform for Anima at Sheepmarket Surgery in Stamford and Hereward Practice in Bourne

An online consultation platform for Lakeside patients that was lauded for its benefits is being ditched in favour of a new system.

Doctrin was introduced in spring 2022 to replace the previous system, ‘EConsult’.

At the time, Doctrin was praised for its ease-of-use and for reducing pressure on appointments, and since it was adopted at the Lakeside’s Sheepmarket Surgery in Ryhall Road, Stamford, and at the Hereward Practice in Exeter Street, Bourne, it appeared to be liked by those who used it.

However, the Doctrin system was swamped in August of this year and was temporarily suspended.

From the end of January 2024, a replacement online consultation platform called Anima will be rolled out across all Lakeside Healthcare practices, including those in Stamford and Bourne.

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Anima is used in more than 170 GP practices and by nearly 489,000 patients nationwide.

It has been chosen by Lakeside management because of its compatibility with the group’s patient record system.

It was also felt to support Lakeside’s assessment of patient symptoms, the prioritising of requests according to clinical urgency, and the directing of patients to the most appropriate care.

Patients using Anima can use an online form to share information about their symptoms, ask questions, or follow up on something, instead of calling or visiting their practice.

They can track the progress of their request and receive responses from staff by text or email.

A spokesperson for Lakeside said: “While the patient experience may feel slightly different, the overall process with Anima remains mostly unchanged compared to Doctrin.

“Patients will be able to access Anima by clicking on the option on their practice website, which will replace the Doctrin button.

“Following online instructions, patients can fill out a form with multiple-choice questions, similar to those a doctor or other healthcare professional might ask during an appointment.

“This helps practice staff in assessing symptoms, prioritising patient requests, and offering appropriate advice, treatment, or further assessment. If a patient needs to be seen by a doctor or other healthcare professional, then an appointment will be arranged.”

Patients who use Doctrin are being encouraged to create an account with Anima before the launch to ensure continued online access to their practice.

Patients with an NHS login can use the same login details as for the NHS App. Those without an NHS login can create an account using their email address.

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