NHS England have asked hospitals to carry out more video-based consultations to help reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
COVID-19 is a new illness which affects your lungs and airways. It is thought to be spread by cough droplets, like similar viruses, so people who may have the virus are self-isolating to avoid contact with other humans.
This self-isolating has caused a huge rise in remote working, especially in China, where offices are closed to curb the spread of the virus and the only option is for people to work from home.
Daniel Zhang, Alibaba’s chief executive describes the rise in remote working due to COVID-19 as “opportunities created by the forces of change. The crisis is a very, very big challenge to the society but also… gives people a chance to try a new way of living and new way of working”.
The NHS is a perfect example of how remote working can be vital until the coronavirus pandemic is over. Reducing the number of people attending their GP Surgery or hospital whenever possible not only increases infection control, it also reduces the pressure on these services during a time when they will be strained due to patients already infected with COVID-19.
Video-based consultations, or Virtual Consultation is not a new concept, however they may be seeing their biggest surge in use ever, due to the ‘opportunity created by the forces of change’, presented by COVID-19.
As initially reported by the BBC, “Hospitals are being asked to carry out more video-based consultations of patients to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus. NHS England hopes the move will reduce the number of people in hospitals and lower the potential for transmission.”
Involve has been delivering video-based consultations, or telemedicine type services for almost 10 years and using our services we are proud to have supported the NHS to achieve;
- 125,000 clinical video-based consultations
- 30,000 clinical meetings via video & audio
- 850,000 minutes of clinical meetings via video & audio
Our ongoing commitment to quality of service, security and innovation continues. During these testing times, our teams are ready to share experiences, support with on-boarding, train users and have agile short term plans ready to support any heightened needs.
Please contact us for advice on using video-based consultations or for more information on our services.
