PATIENTS across Cumbria are being encouraged to contact their GP by smartphone, tablet or computer to free up surgery time.

The campaign has been launched by the Great North Care Record, which brings together NHS health and social care practitioners to promote the sharing of medical information.

It says 23 per cent of patients across Cumbria and the North East go online to book appointments, order repeat prescriptions and see test results. The organisation wants to increase those figures to reduce routine phone calls and patient visits to GP practices.

The Duke Street Practice in Barrow-in-Furness has seen its online figures increase from three per cent of its patients using GP online services to nearly 39 per cent in less than two years, says the Great North Care Record.

Nationally 14.6 million people are signed up with over a million online GP appointments being booked and 2.6 million repeat prescriptions being ordered every month.

For more, see www.nhs.uk/gponlineservices