NHS consultants in drive to carry out virtual ward rounds at home

BMA suggests hospital patients be diagnosed remotely to help stem burnout among staff

NHS hospital consultants have demanded the right to work from home as doctors claimed patients can be assessed via a “computer on wheels”.

The British Medical Association (BMA) conducted a review into the Government’s handling of the pandemic and said it “failed in its duty of care” to doctors during the crisis.

But the report also highlighted some “practical positive changes” to the health service over the last two years, including the chance for staff to work remotely.

“The ability of some doctors to work remotely at certain times in the pandemic should be acknowledged, and a hybrid working model for doctors more seriously considered within UK health service,” the BMA said.

Responding to a survey by the union, 22 per cent of doctors said remote working was one of their top three solutions “to address the long-term impact of the pandemic on the workforce”.

In one case study cited in the report a GP said: “Remote consultant ward rounds on a computer on wheels worked well for shielding consultants and the use of remote working had also helped to stem burnout hugely, especially for parents.”

Two hospital consultants at Neath Port Talbot Hospital in South Wales, completed their ward rounds in June 2020 from home, via a computer with a camera which was wheeled up to patients by junior doctors.

One of the doctors told Wales Online at the time he was able to diagnose patients virtually using the system.

In another example, GPS in Cumbria assessed care home residents remotely after staff wore virtual headsets which recorded the patients from the bedside.

The BMA said an assessment of “longterm remote work” should now be considered. “This would first and foremost require the provision of adequate IT equipment and the incorporation of remote working skills in relevant training packages,” it said.

The report comes as waiting lists for hospital treatment reached 6.4 million in March, the most recent official figures. A total of 16,796 people in England have been waiting two years to start routine hospital treatment – six times the number waiting that long in April 2021.

Earlier this year, NHS England announced plans to treat up to 25,000 hospital patients at home via “virtual wards” to help clear the backlog.

Under the plans, consultants and GPS

‘Remote ward rounds with a computer on wheels worked well for shielding consultants’

would review patients via digital platforms and over the phone. Patients could also be provided with devices to track their recovery.

A national target of 40 to 50 virtual beds per 100,000 population, the equivalent of 25,000 beds across England, was set for the next two years under the NHS “living with Covid” plan.

But public satisfaction with GP services fell to the lowest level on record last year, according to the British Social Attitudes Survey, as many patients struggled to see their family doctor.

Latest figures show about 60 per cent of GP appointments are being held inperson, compared to 80 per cent prepandemic.

A government spokesman said the NHS will be supported with a £36billion fund to set up to create surgical hubs and diagnostic centres, and recruit 50,000 extra nurses.