We were thrilled to read an article from NHS Highland recently which explained how their video consulting service, NHS Near Me has been awarded international recognition from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. NHS Near Me started as a pilot project right here in Caithness! The service provides outpatient consultations either at a patient’s home or at a local NHS Highland clinic and has been rolled out across the health board area over the last year.

The service reduces travel time for patients while still allowing them to receive the care they require from the comfort of their own home or from a local clinic. Earlier in 2019, other NHS organisations visited the highlands of Scotland to learn more about the NHS Near Me service and now the processes have been shared across the UK.

Of course, there is still work to be done by the NHS Near Me team which is led by Clare Morrison who said “This is about delivering person-centred care, as well as maximising the environmental benefit” The NHS Near Me service has so far, provided 2,700 video consultations across 31 clinical specialties, which at the current level of usage is saving an estimated 350,000 travel miles a year for patients and clinicians across Highland.

Information sessions for patients and family members have been held across the highlands where NHS Highland staff offer advice on how to use the service should a patient which to do so from home so that they can be confident to attend their appointment. In some clinics, there may be a health care support worker or other NHS staff member available to support patients with their appointment.

It’s always fantastic to see such pioneering work taking place in the North Highlands and this is a perfect example of progressive technology to improve the lives of rural residents. If you’re interested in learning more about healthcare in the north highlands, click here or to read the article in full from NHS Highland, click here.

Healthcare