Thousands of patients in Lincs use pioneering video consultation scheme for hospital appointments

A pioneering video consultation scheme has allowed thousands of Lincolnshire patients to have their hospital outpatient appointments from their own home.
Mark Brassington of ULHTMark Brassington of ULHT
Mark Brassington of ULHT

United Lincolnshire Health Trust, which runs hospitals in the county including Boston Pilgrim, were one of the trusts who took part in a pilot programme for the scheme.

It was due to be launched in March by NHS England with a handful of clinics, but the COVID-19 pandemic speeded up the roll-out.

The trust says patients who are suitable for this new style of appointment are being contacted in advance with advice and to check they have the suitable equipment to take part.

Since April, more than 5,500 hours of video consultations have taken place with 700 clinicians from across the Trust in 50 regular virtual clinics.

A spokesperson for the trust said more than 94% of patients have said they would like to see the service continue.

ULHT Deputy Chief Executive, Mark Brassington said: “The great news is that during this pandemic our patients are still be able to see their regular doctor and not have their appointment cancelled. It alleviates the stress and expense of coming to one of our hospitals, they just need internet access so they can dial in using their computer, tablet or smartphone from anywhere and get the same advice and support.

“We know video consultations are not suitable for all patients and all conditions, but we know from feedback that for some of our patients attending routine appointments in normal circumstances this is much better for them and their busy lives.

“So far the response from both our patients and our teams has been really good. Although we have launched this new system during the pandemic, I really believe this is the future for many of our services whose patients are suitable for video consultations.”

One patient using midwife services said: “I’m so impressed with the video call with my midwife Catherine. I’m never one for face calls as it always seems to freeze but this was fantastic and made it feel as though I was actually in the room with her which was really reassuring especially with the current times.”

Some patients will still be invited to come in for a face to face appointment where there is a medical reason for them to do so. If you are invited to attend a ULHT hospital for an appointment, please attend wherever possible for the treatment and advice you may need.

More information about the new appointments can be found on the Trust’s website.

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