Better Healthcare for You and your Family

Aim

We want to revolutionise healthcare in the UK with a new app putting patients and carers in control

'We need your support and gift however small, to help us finalise the MyNotes Medical app and programme within three months. Once launched you will be one of the first to get MyNotes Medical free for you and your family. Don't be a victim of medical mistakes or negligence. Safeguard yourself and your family now'

Joanna

Warning: lack of notes can kill!

Every year, thousands of NHS patients suffer needlessly. Doctors are over­worked, mistakes are made and billions of pounds are wasted. The question is, why?

If you have ever been a patient, or your loved one has, you may know for yourself the confusion and stress that often occurs:

• You don’t understand what the doctor or consultant is saying
• Your story is not taken seriously
• You find it difficult to recall your diagnosis or treatment, since you have no notes to refer to
• Perhaps, as a result you are sent away with the wrong diagnosis, or you have to make several appointments.

This is critical:

You don’t understand everything that the medical professionals are asking or saying to you; no one seems to have access to your loved one’s medical history and you are worried that you may generalise, delete or distort something critical when telling people what they need to know.

All of this wastes precious time in which you or your loved one could be receiving proper treatment.

The problem is down to a breakdown in communication between patient and consultant. And, the problem has been publicly recognised and acknowledged.

Trouble is, all too often the solution has been developed by medical professionals for the 'benefit' of patients but NOT by patients themselves and NOT from a patient’s perspective.

We have the answer

This was the simple solution

My name is Joanna Slater. When my mother had a hip operation and later fell ill, I started writing notes as a reminder of all the things that were happening to her. Gradually those notes became a blog. The Mail on Sunday picked up on my story and published extracts of my notes, then everything changed for me

I received 1000's of emails from people saying they wished they had taken notes and the difference it would have made.

Using some of their stories and my own, I self-­published a book "The Last Six Months" and continued to expand my blog to raise awareness of the importance of getting involved in medical care.

There is plenty of evidence in the NHS that poor communication is the main cause of errors in diagnosis and treatment. If we can encourage and enable the taking and sharing of notes by patients, with the support and encouragement of GPs and consultants, we can reduce time wasted and errors in communication.

It was not long after that the answer came to me.

What is needed is an app that meticulously maintains medical notes and history for patients ­ not GPs.

Introducing: MyNotes Medical app and online programme

MyNotes Medical is for everyone who wants to improve their healthcare or to manage the medical care of a loved one or friend. It is for those that want to be “informed, involved and engaged in getting better”.

Here is what you can do with MyNotes Medical app:

• Make text, video, audio and photo notes while at the surgery, in a consultation or soon after
• Your notes automatically save directly to your personal MyNotes Medical event log, which is secure and visible only to members with their own individual ID and password
• Add personal information and details of your treatment and medications
• Easily refer to and share an accurate record of what was said, by whom and when, as your treatment progresses

You can record, review and research your healthcare issues between visits to the doctor or consultant, and share the consultation/diagnosis with friends and family ­ something that is rarely done and yet is crucial for effective treatment and outcomes for all patients whatever their age or condition.

Here is what one medical professional had to say about MyNotes Medical app:

‘In the context of the current healthcare setting we are all required to be partners in patient care. MyNotes Medical offers the opportunity for a streamlined cohesive approach to patient centred, and personalised care. As healthcare professionals we have a responsibility to support and advocate patient choice. This unique tool will enhance the patient experience and facilitate us in offering the best care that we can.’Clinical Nurse Specialist St Marks Hospital. 

Conclusion: this app will make a difference.

Through online research and product testing, we aim to have the best possible programme within three months.

How you can help

As you can tell, we each have a personal experience where poor communication had a major consequence in medical care and wanted to do something to stop it happening to others.

We have teamed up to combine our 70 years professional experience in business development, marketing, communication, app and web design and technology solutions to manage the project from concept through launch to a national program for patients across the UK.

You may be pleased to know that we have developed the basic concept and have designed the online programme and the app. Now, we just need to create the app and launch the programme.

This is where you come in. We need funding in order to achieve the following:

• Produce the designs for testing
• Create the app and online programme
• Make tweaks, test the idea with patients, GPs and physicians
• Develop the marketing campaign
• Launch!

Once launched, our plan is as follows:

• For unlimited personal use of the MyNotes Medical app, online programme and secure servers there will be an annual fee of £24 with discounts
• Find partners and sponsors to fund our marketing in order to get as many users as possible. The more users we have the lower the cost will be for you, patients and carers. Here is how to support our project and gain fantastic rewards! We can’t complete the project without your support. In exchange for making a pledge today, take advantage of the following:

Starter Package ­ Pledge £10 or more

• Qualify for FREE 1 year membership after product launch (value £24)
• Learn how to cope with the emotional strain of healthcare with our free eWorkbook
• Qualify for membership discounts after launch
• Be recognised for your contribution on our blog’s “roll of honour”
• *Have the option to join our patient panel

Bronze Package ­ Pledge £20 or more

Same as above, but in addition:

• Qualify for FREE 2 year (or 2x 1 year) membership(s) after product launch (value £48)
• Get an additional eWorkbook teaching how to cope with the emotional strain of healthcare
• Be recognised as a Bronze contributor

Silver Package ­ Pledge £50 or more

Same as above,

but in addition:

• Qualify for an ADDITIONAL FREE 2 year (or 2x 1 year) membership(s) after product launch (4 years altogether, total value £96)
• Get an additional eWorkbook teaching how to cope with the emotional strain of healthcare (3 in total)
• Be recognised as a Silver contributor But, it gets better.

Gold Package (Best Value) ­ Pledge £100 or more

• Qualify for FREE LIFETIME membership for two
• Receive all 4 eWorkbooks teaching how to cope with the emotional strain of healthcare
• Be recognised as a Gold contributor
• Option to join our Steering Team and help develop the MyNotes Medical programme beyond launch We firmly believe this app will make a huge difference in the lives of patients, their loved ones and NHS staff across the country. This app and programme will save lives. One day, it may save your life or that of a loved one.

* All sponsors that opt to join our patients panel will be emailed a short series of questionnaires from time to time via email for your opinions.

Together, let’s stop needless suffering. Make a pledge today.

Here are other ways you can also help:

• Spread the word, using the hashtag #MyNotesMedical 
• Ask your friends and family to support us on Crowdfunder
• Follow me on twitter @joannaslater and 'like’ my Facebook page www.facebook.com/mynotesmedical 
• Use my blog: www. mynotesmedical.wordpress.com to tell us about your experiences with your GP and the NHS
• Tell your GP or Consultant about our programme and ask them to support us

If you or your organisation wish to support the campaign, or to provide any other assistance, please contact us by email at [email protected] 

Meet the team behind My Notes Medical app

 Joanna Slater ­ Founder, marketing and social media

I am committed to the cause of improving patient care and believe that mynotes medical will lead to more effective communication between patients, their carers, doctors and physicians ­ the key to better treatment. I am on a quest to create a patient­led programme with Brad and John that will help everyone become more engaged in their medical care and be more effective in helping others.

Brad Meyer ­ co­founder, business development

When my father went into hospital, the matter­of­factness of his treatment was comforting. then it became disturbing as his health deteriorated. I felt he was seen as a number, a project, an experiment ­ but almost never as a person.

I wanted to intervene but I felt unsure how I could do so constructively. Despite my 25 years coaching others and managing change using technology, I felt I could not make a positive impact. I did not understand the medical terminology, I could not talk to anyone about his condition. And I was left only able to care for my father emotionally as we watched him go.

Afterwards, I stepped back and began with Joanna and John to create MyNotes Medical to help others become engaged in their own medical care or the care of a loved one. So that they can do more than I was able to do for my father.

John Wisbey - design

I come from a family of doctors, physicians and surgeons. All tell me how little time there is these days to spend on diagnosis and care and how difficult it is for patients to follow their treatment. If only there was a better way to communicate and patients were more involved in their medical care.

Working with Joanna and Brad we have developed a website and app based programme specifically for patients. A programme patients will use... and critically will be welcomed by the medical profession.A simple solution accessible to all, even those with basic technology skills. We believe an active partnership between patients and clinicians rather than patients being the passive recipients of care will benefit everyone and see MyNotes Medical as an important tool to help achieve it.

Peter Michelsen - technology

When John introduced me to Joanna, Brad and MyNotes Medical I could immediately see that it would be an invaluable tool for patients and their families.

Having seen the volume of information sent to patients, like my own wife and mother, it is easy to understand how keeping track of all that medical information can become overwhelming.This confusion can lead to lost information and misunderstandings, which is unacceptable when important decisions need to be made over treatment and care. I know from my own experience as a digital developer that personal technology is the ideal platform to empower patients to keep their own record and share vital information with family and friends.

Thank you so much for your time!

Joanna

This project closed unsuccessfully on 17th August 2015