Sick? The doctor will see you now ... by videolink

Outpatient trips to be replaced by a ‘virtual clinic’ chat

PATIENTS are to be treated in ‘virtual’ clinics instead of attending hospital appointments, in an effort to cut NHS waiting lists.

Rather than being seen face-to-face at outpatient clinics, they will be dealt with over the phone or by videolink as part of a £4million Scottish Government scheme.

The radical move changing the way some people receive NHS care comes amid soaring pressure on hospital clinics.

Non-emergency conditions such as eye problems and diabetes will be included in the scheme, which is seen as a way of freeing up face-to-face appointments for those patients who really need them.

A virtual appointment is said to take up less time than a meeting in person and there are fewer cancellations.

But critics last night warned that patients’ needs should come ahead of ‘emptying hospitals’.

Revealing details yesterday, the Scottish Government said its Access Collaborative Programme would give patients ‘timely and accessible’ care.

It said virtual clinics would give patients access to specialists across the country and eliminate travelling time.

Health Secretary Shona Robison said: ‘We’re committed to delivering the investment and reform necessary to ensure our NHS evolves to meet the changing needs of the people of Scotland.

‘Not only will patients receive a better all-round standard of treatment, but it will reduce the pressure felt on services and waiting times.’

The move has been announced just a month after Scotland’s Auditor General warned more patients are waiting longer to be seen – and most waiting time targets are not being met.

The number waiting more than 12 weeks for a first appointment has more than quadrupled in four years – from 21,500 in March 2013 to 87,500 in March 2017.

Professor Derek Bell, chairman of the Academy of Royal Colleges, who will lead the scheme, said: ‘In Scotland over the last two years, overall performance in emergency care services has been consistently better than elsewhere in the UK. This is down to the innovative framework and principles jointly commissioned by the Scottish Government and professional bodies like the Royal Colleges delivering patient benefit.

‘An elective access collaborative programme based on the key principles we’ve identified will address the significant growing pressures in elective and diagnostic service, add value to health care and improve patient care.’

But Scottish Conservative health spokesman Miles Briggs insisted patients who need face-to-face care should receive it.

He said: ‘The Scottish Government is right to explore imaginative ways of reducing waiting times in hospitals.

‘However, we can’t reach a point where patients are being routinely dealt with away from hospital just to save cash. This approach has to be balanced with doing what’s best for the health of the person involved, and not simply emptying hospitals.