The service was rapidly rolled out throughout HSE sites with training and support provided from the National Virtual Health Team, supported by Involve.
The Attend Anywhere system which has been supplied by Involve provides a mechanism to allow members of the public (patients) to hold a video consultation with HSE clinicians, replacing traditional face to face consultations. Using browser web-based technology, the video call is initiated by the patient using their own device which can include desktop computer, laptop, tablet and smart phone (Apple or Android). A range of patient resources have been developed, providing best practice guidance for conducting video consultations via Attend Anywhere. These resources include patient leaflets and videos.
During the video call initiation process, the patient is asked to provide their name, telephone number and date of birth. This information is provided securely and is deleted after the video consultation has ended with no recording of the video call taking place. Details of the consultation will be entered into the HSE Patient Administration System (PAS) in the same way as a face to face consultation and will be subject to the appropriate healthcare provider policies.
Since May 2020, the HSE have virtualised over 1,000 traditional face to face waiting areas to allow both physical and virtual appoints to take place and during this time, they have completed over 100,000 consultations, lasting over 55,000 hours with over 8,500 clinical staff now registered to use the platform.
Commenting on the positive impact to date, Moya Ferguson, a Senior Physiotherapist based in St. Joseph’s Hospital, Stranorlar, Co Donegal noted: “Attend Anywhere has enabled us to actively engage with our clients face to face via video call. We have been able to check clients’ range of movement, their gait, provide home exercise programmes and progress their rehabs such as getting them off crutches and sticks.”
