This document is intended for NHS Scotland hospital outpatient services.
Near Me video consulting can be used to reduce exposure to coronavirus by enabling both patients and clinicians to consult while in isolation. It can also be used to reduce footfall in outpatient departments, protect the clinical workforce through reduced exposure to risk of infection, and increase resilience by enabling clinical support to be provided from different geographical locations.
Scenarios where video consulting may be beneficial in outpatient services include:
- To enable outpatient services to continue to be provided without exposing clinicians or patients to infection risk.
- To reduce the number of people coming into hospital premises, who may be unknowingly carrying coronavirus.
- To enable clinicians to work remotely, either due to quarantine or to reduce the infection risk for the clinician.
- To enable additional health care support to be provided remotely to an area with a significant outbreak of coronavirus.