East Cheshire NHS Trust is pleased to announce it can now offer virtual consultations to patients who have been identified by their doctor or nurse as suitable for this type of appointment in selected departments.
In partnership with the NHS Attend Anywhere video platform, which was initially rolled out nationwide by NHS England in response to the pandemic, this enables clinicians to conduct appointments via video link, without the need for the patient to come to hospital or even leave their home.
Patient and staff feedback has been extremely positive following a successful pilot phase over the past few months.
Mr Christopher J Smart, Clinical Lead for Colorectal Cancer, said: “Virtual consultations have helped us advance patient-centred care during COVID-19 which we can now continue."
The platform allows visual examinations to take place and even supports the requirement to share documents on screen, for example x-rays. All patients have a choice to opt in or out of a virtual consultation.
A patient said: “I was delighted with my first experience using the video-consultation platform and found it to be equally as beneficial as attending the hospital in person.
I was able to have a face to face discussion with my clinician which feels far more personal than a telephone call. Ahead of my consultation, I received a helpful information leaflet with very clear and easy to follow instructions on how to use the platform. I would be more than happy to have my consultations virtually again in the future.”
Dr John Hunter, Medical Director at East Cheshire NHS Trust said, “We’re pleased to be able to offer video consultations to some of our patients. Experience tells us that video consultations are easy to use and are often more convenient.”
Appointments are scheduled as normal and patients will receive a letter confirming the date and time, which will include a web link to the virtual appointment.
Click here for further information on Attend Anywhere.
Found a problem? Report it and help us to improve our website