Electronic consultations being trialled in Coventry and Warwickshire
An NHS Trust in Coventry and Warwickshire is piloting a new technology that will offer patients electronic consultations (e-Consultations).
Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust (CWPT) is testing electronic e-consultations at three of its services, and aims to speed up appointment waiting times, and provides an alternative way of accessing services.
The services piloting e-Consultations are:
- Integrated Sexual Health Services
- Improving Access to Physiological Therapies
- Primary Mental Health Team, known as RISE
Patients wanting an appointment at the services will now have an option to opt for an e-consultation, meaning they will not have to attend the appointment in person as it will take place over a videocall; similar to Skype or Facetime.
Mel Coombes, Chief Nurse at CWPT said: “Since launching the trial in December we are finding this system is helping people from many different walks of life access our services in a new way.
“People lead busy lives and can sometimes struggle to attend appointments with the time pressures of work, family and other commitments. By offering e-Consultations, it can fit around anyone’s schedule, because they can choose to seek advice at a time and place that suits them.
“Once we have completed the pilot, we will then review how well the services worked, with the hopes of rolling it out across the whole Trust in the future.”
E-Consultation can be accessed through a free app that they download to their smartphone or tablet. The pilot was launched earlier this month, and is due to end in June 2020.
The e-Consultation pilot is part of the Trust’s overall Digital Transformation strategy to enhance patient experience through digital solutions.