NHS IT, Records and Data

NHS presses forward on online consultations

The medical director of the NHS has announced his support for the greater use of online consultations and Skype technology in the health service.

The programme could speed up the process of diagnosis and referral, making the NHS more convenient for patients.

Professor Sir Bruce Keogh told the Times: “I am looking at how we can put levers into the system to encourage doctors to do online consultations. Once you have online consultations, it breaks down geographical boundaries. It opens up the spectre of 24/7 access.

“There is technology in general, which we have been quite good in the NHS at using, if it’s affordable, to drive up the quality of care. All other industries when they look at technology, one of the first questions they ask is does it improve quality and does it lower costs?

“In a world where immediacy and convenience influence how people perceive the quality of a service, you can see how that kind of thing might catch on.”

However, some are concerned that patients need more face-to-face time with their GPs, not less. It should also be the choice of the individual to use online consultations, not obligatory, they warn.

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