TECH TRIAL REBOOTING THE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE
13 February 2020
Access to services for those we serve could soon get easier and more effective – thanks to innovative work being done by one of our NHS partners.
Coventry & Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust (CWPT) is trialling electronic consultations that are speeding up appointment waiting times and avoiding the need for patients to attend appointments in person.
The Trust – which provides mental health and learning disability services – is one of our partner organisations that includes the area’s GPs, hospitals and local councils all working together to improve the delivery of health and social care.
It has been testing e-consultations via video, similar to Skype or Facetime, since December and the results are hugely positive.
Mel Coombes, Chief Nurse and Chief Operating Officer at CWPT said: “Since launching the trial we are finding this system is helping people from many different walks of life access our services in a new way.
“People lead busy lives and can sometimes struggle to attend appointments with the time pressures of work, family and other commitments. By offering e-Consultations, it can fit around anyone’s schedule, because they can choose to seek advice at a time and place that suits them.
“Once we have completed the pilot, we will then review how well the services worked, with the hopes of rolling it out across the whole Trust in the future.”
E-Consultations are currently being offered across three of the Trust’s services: Integrated Sexual Health Services; Improving Access to Physiological Therapies; and the Primary Mental Health Team, known as RISE.
Patients will be offered an e-consultation appointment when they contact one of the three services. The e-consultation will then take place via a video call to either the patient’s smartphone or computer device.
The pilot, which is part of the Trust’s wider digital transformation objectives, will run until June 2020.
For further information visit CWPT’s website: www.covwarkpt.nhs.uk