The NHS has published their next steps to free up capacity and boost resilience of services ahead of winter. The plan focuses on virtual wards and remote monitoring as key to reducing hospital occupancy, promoting timely discharge, and providing better support for people at home. However, a reliance on virtual wards and remote monitoring to address… Read More How digital can support the NHS’s winter plan
A survey by Pulse has found that over one third of GP practices have been forced to stop routine care in the past year. Graham Kendall, Director of Digital Healthcare Council said: “With record pressures on general practice, we need to make the most of every tool available, and digital providers can play a significant… Read More DHC responds to ‘Over one third of GP practices forced to stop routine care in the past year’
This study highlights the importance of providing patients and clinicians with a high-quality choice in consultation type. There will always be a role for telephone and face-to-face consultations, and the option of video consultations is an important part of that choice. With record pressure on general practice, embracing digital solutions including video consultations is a… Read More Responding to Why do GPs rarely do video consultations? qualitative study in UK general practice
In our response to the Health and Social Care Committee inquiry into the future of general practice, we highlight: 1. The government policy of increasing face-to-face GP appointments works against what most people want Every week, Digital Healthcare Council members ask millions of patients how they want to engage with general practice and what sort… Read More DHC highlights major gap between Government policy and what patients want in response to Health Select Committee inquiry
Throughout the pandemic digital health providers have routinely demonstrated how remote consultations can help clinicians tackle the pressures of Covid, not only by acting as a form of infection control, but also by improving efficiency and capacity. Now digital healthcare is facing increasing scrutiny and it’s time to consider whether people are focusing on the… Read More Remote consultations should be seen as part of the general practice package of care
A couple of pieces of interesting research recently show that: Over 50s are less likely to have accessed online consultations in the UK during the first lockdown Older patients prefer digital health tools to in-person consultations Research commissioned by Visiba Care looked at rates of online consultations including video consultations and online consultations such as… Read More Research shows strong but unmet demand for digital healthcare among older people
The latest GP appointment stats covering October have led some observers to fanfare that the level of GP appointments is now at pre-pandemic levels. But that conclusion is only partially true, and more fundamentally, perhaps it also misses the point. It is accurate that the total number of appointments in October was 28.2 million and… Read More GP appointment bounce back masks nationwide variation
Commenting in City AM, DHC Director, Graham Kendall discusses reasons for why digital health is set to grow over the long-term. “These fundamental pressures [e.g. demographic changes and long-term conditions] and an increasing patient appetite for accessible, always-on care, will drive innovation in digital healthcare and encourage widespread adoption over the foreseeable future”. Read the… Read More Healthtech: are ‘virtual’ doctors here to stay?
The latest waiting time figures show the length of time waiting has grown again. It’s understandable due to the shut down in activity earlier in the year because of Covid and difficulties resuming activity due to social distancing and infection control. Nevertheless, the figures are both startling and concerning, writes DHC Director, Graham Kendall. Some… Read More Waiting times grow again
July’s rise in GP appointment numbers is welcome but it masks a steepening fall year-on-year. Despite this grim pattern, areas using DHC members for video consultations continue to buck the trend, writes DHC Director, Graham Kendall. July’s GP appointment data show a mixed picture. There were more than 22.4 million appointments. That’s an increase of… Read More Online providers buck the trend