60% of students happy to Facetime a doctor

Most Caithness college students would be happy to have a video consultation with a doctor or nurse if there was no clinical need to turn up at a health centre or hospital.

Six out of 10 would settle for a virtual link-up while two-thirds would be comfortable to have their appointment with their GP by phone if a physical examination was not required.

The survey of students at the Thurso campus of North Highland College UHI also found that 93% would be happy to be seen by an advanced practitioner such as a nurse, pharmacist or physiotherapist.

“Young people arecomfortable using new technology”

The remainder were unsure.

It was carried out during freshers week by NHS Highland and High Life Highland (HLH) to feed into the current consultation on the future of adult NHS and social care services in Caithness.

Keith Moncur, HLH’s Caithness youth development lead, said: “We are delighted to assist with bringing the voice of young people to the consultation.

“At a time in their lives when they have so many things going on, it is important that we make sharing young people’s views as easy as possible.”

Christian Nicolson, NHS Highland’s quality improvement lead and consultation coordinator, said: “The news that young people are comfortable using new technology to attend appointments with doctors and nurses is very welcome.”

Less positive was the response to pursuing a career with the health service in Caithness, with just 23% considering one, 33% saying no and 47% unsure.