During the pandemic, remote video consultations became a necessity for many patients and clinicians. So what can we learn from the pandemic about delivering remote care beyond Covid 19?
Even before the pandemic interrupted our lives and posed the greatest crisis for the healthcare system in our lifetime, the 2019 NHS Long Term Plan set out a commitment to reduce face-to-face outpatient appointments by up to a third, by 2023/24. These plans accelerated by necessity as many patients and healthcare professionals were forced to isolate in order to reduce the risk of infection, use of remote video consultations exploded in 2020 and 2021.
Now that we start to emerge from two years of crisis in an active pandemic – thanks to the tireless efforts of incredible frontline NHS staff and and a successful vaccination programme – the question is to what extent the need for remote care will persist, and what form it will take.
Although the immediate threat of Covid 19 has lessened, its effects continue to take its toll on the NHS with skyrocketing waiting times for elective, emergency and cancer care. Many Trusts are now faced with an unprecedented backlog, adding pressure on a workforce that is already stretched thin. Can simple but effective remote care technologies help reduce face-to-face appointments and alleviate some of the stress on secondary care?
For one community psychiatric nurse at Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, using accuRx for video consultations increased the number of clients that kept their appointment from 60% to 90%, and increased the overall number of patients she was able to see from 5-7 to 10 per day.
Providing remote care to save time and chip away at the backlog
In a 2022 Delivery plan for tackling the Covid 19 backlog, NHS England determined that digital technology and data systems “provide us with the opportunity to release capacity” in the healthcare system by delivering remote care through e.g. virtual wards that enable recovery for patients at home.
The NHS Long Term Plan further estimates that by transforming the way care is delivered, time and money can be saved not just for patients who do not have to travel to the hospital for remote appointments, but also allow healthcare staff to work “in the most efficient and satisfying way”, reduce pollution from road travel, and ultimately save the NHS more than £1 billion per year.
Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust recently reported positive results of remote care methods, with 92% of surveyed patients expressing they would like their consultations by video again in the future.
Furthermore, digital patient-initiated follow-up, of PIFU, has recently been highlighted by NHS England as a "positive change" in how outpatient care can be delivered as a result to the way healthcare was forced to adapt to the constraints of Covid 19. At accuRx, our PIFU solution goes beyond simple patient led appointment booking to give clinicians a chance to triage patient-initiated requests towards digital communication and advice or a video consultation when appropriate – providing much more instant care and advice to patients when a visit to their healthcare provider may be unnecessary.
With the accuRx, PIFU and everything else a healthcare professional or team needs to start running seamless and secure remote care for patients is made easy: from video consultations that support multiple participants and hassle-free setup, to simple patient or GP messaging and immediate view of patients' GP record information on any device.
"Having [patient information] immediately accessible through Record View saves us and our patients time.”
Manage virtual wards with patient lists
You can easily manage a virtual ward using Patient Lists. Create a Patient Lists from your patient administration system or directly in accuRx Web, and share the lists with clinicians or administrators in your team. From there, you can find and communicate with the right patient in just 3 clicks.
Make effective decisions with instant record summaries
For secondary care, access to patient information in the GP record can be slow, unreliable or end in a time-consuming game of phone tennis to obtain depending on the location of the clinician and GP surgery. A survey by accuRx found that most GP practices estimate spending more than 10 hours per week responding to requests with information that could be found in their patient records.
With Record View, you can view an organised summary of any patient’s GP record instantly within accuRx, with permission directly from your patients. Send the request to your patient’s phone while they are in the waiting room or in the appointment with you, and retrieve the permission code verbally from them to unlock your view of their current record, including medications, investigations, allergies and more.
ADHD and Autism Specialist Nurse Ian Unitt at Black Country Mental Health Trust said, “Previously, when I needed information such as an updated ECG test result, I’d have to contact the GP and often waste time waiting. Having it immediately accessible through Record View saves us and our patients time.”
Make the most of your time with remote appointments
With virtual waiting rooms you can use your time effectively. A simple overview shows upcoming remote appointments indicating which patients have tested their connection and who has already joined. Message a patient who is late and join the patient who is already waiting – all from one screen.
For one community psychiatric nurse at Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, using accuRx for video consultations increased the number of clients that kept their appointment from 60% to 90%, and increased the overall number of patients she was able to see from 5-7 to 10 per day.
Message patients or their GPs
Send one-way messages to your patients’ phones with appointment reminders or information, attaching NHS advice, leaflets or pre-appointment instructions directly from your desktop. Easily request patient responses including text or photo messages to an individual or shared team inbox, where you can coordinate follow-up actions with your team. You can also refer patients to a patient-initiated follow-up pathway after an appointment, or send a message to their GP via accuRx.
Managing remote care with accuRx: Learn more about the solutions we offer
Try accuRx Web: Sign up for free with NHS single sign-on
Get in touch: Let us know how we can support you and your team