The free service, EMIS Access, is currently used by 230,000 patients a month** to book and cancel appointments, order repeat prescriptions and view their medical record via the internet.

It is already saving the NHS at least £1,359,170* each year in reduced administration costs - a saving that could rise to £290,299,200 if all UK adults (49.12 million people) used it.

EMIS Access was developed by leading GP software provider EMIS and first piloted in 2002. Now the free service is used by more than 1,700 GP practices.

It saves time and money for GP surgeries by cutting down on phone calls. By making it quick and easy for patients to change or cancel appointments, it is also cutting down on DNAs (‘did not attends’) - estimated to cost £162m a year across the NHS.

At the Windmill Health Centre in Leeds, patients can access EMIS Access through their home computer, mobile phone or digital TV box. Leeds mum-of-three Elizabeth Dawson loves it.

She said: "Before EMIS Access was introduced it was much more difficult to get an appointment or repeat medication. Often, the phone was engaged and then when you did get through all the appointments were gone.

"Now I can go online at any time of the day or night and put the order in for the prescription or make an appointment."

She added: "What's good about EMIS Access is it also allows you to make a query - say if you have been put on a new medication and you're not sure if it should be on repeat, you can just add a note and when someone picks up the prescription request they can respond.

"It's also so simple to use - all you need is a log-on and a password."

Practice Manager Malcolm Scanlan said: "Since we introduced EMIS Access, call volumes to the surgery have decreased significantly - to the extent that we are saving hours on the phone each week. And because patients can book and cancel appointments to suit them, the number of DNAs has plummeted."

He added: "When we first launched the service, we thought it would only be used by younger patients, but we now have plenty of users well into their seventies. It has a broad appeal."

Sean Riddell, managing director of EMIS, said: "EMIS Access is a great example of how digital public services can save money by putting people, not organisations, in control."

* Based on information from Windmill Health Centre, Leeds, indicating a typical time of 2.5 minutes to book an appointment or process a repeat prescription by phone. Assumes an average receptionist salary of £8 an hour, plus 30% in overheads (a total saving per transaction of 43.3p). £1,359,170 annual saving based on 261,580 GP appointments booked and repeat prescriptions ordered via EMIS Access in February 2010 x 12 months. 261,580x12x43.3p = £1,359,170.

** Based on £1,359,170 annual saving divided by the 230,000 patients who used the service in February 2010. Gives an average per patient annual saving of £5.91.Then taking the UK adult population (estimated to be 80% of the total UK population of 61.4m: 49.12m) and multiplying by £5.91 to get total saving of £290,299,200 (49.12m x £5.91). Population statistics source is: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=6

About EMIS Group plc
EMIS Group plc ("EMIS") is the UK's leading supplier of healthcare software and related services to GPs. EMIS systems are used by 52 per cent of all GP practices and the company holds around 34 million patient records on its platform.

EMIS's software allows GPs to access and amend patients' electronic health records as well as make appointments and prescribe medication.

EMIS Access is an award-winning service that enables patients to book, cancel or change appointments via the internet, mobile phone or digital television. It also allows patients to order repeat prescriptions and send secure messages to their GP. The service is now used by more than 1,600 GP practices and 230,000 patients. In February 2010, 261,580 GP appointments and repeat prescriptions were booked via the service.

www.emis-online.com