A BEEP and a whirr could soon replace a friendly smile at Colchester hospitals.

The trust charged with running Colchester General and Essex County hospitals is looking to introduce self-service kiosks at most of its reception areas.

When patients arrive at a clinic, they would scan in a barcode on their appointment notice to let staff know they had arrived.

Receptionists would remain to help patients when needed or monitor whether appointments had either started, were about to begin or were delayed.

Nick Elliott, chief information officer at Colchester Hospitals University Foundation Trust, said the service would be similar to a supermarket, where customers can choose whether to go to the self-service checkout or use a staffed till.

However, he said there were no immediate plans to introduce them to the accident and emergency department, and they would not be used to try to assess what is wrong with a patient.

Mr Elliott added: “The main purpose of them is to make it easier for people when they come into outpatients departments. But we will still have some people going to the desk.

“It allows them to focus on people who really need help.”

Colchester MP Bob Russell said he would be against anything that “dehumanises” the experience for patients visiting hospitals.

He added: “There are some things you can’t really replace with a machine. The person who is at the reception desk is the first port of call in the chain of human interaction.

“People going into hospital really need to be talking to people, not fumbling around at machines.

“Hospitals ought to remember why they’re there – to help people, not to satisfy the accountants.

“I find it difficult to believe I can be convinced this is a good move. I fail to see how this is going to be part of the healing process.”

But Mr Elliott stressed the aim of the kiosks, the first of which should be installed this summer, was to improve patient care.

He added: “We still want to be a people organisation. It will give a better patient experience for a large proportion of people.

“What seems to frustrate a lot of patients is queuing up purely to say we are here. They still get to see a doctor or a nurse and all the rest of it.”

The £100,000 estimated cost forms part of £4.2million spending on IT planned for the next financial year. The project will be discussed at a board meeting tomorrow.