Enabling digital access

COVID-19 has highlighted the need for health services worldwide to adapt how they deliver their services to ensure patient and staff safety is maintained. One key way this has been achieved has been through adopting new technologies at pace. These innovations highlight how elective care services have used new technologies to provide care to patients, establishing new processes and developing resources to make care accessible to all.

Digital rehabilitation increases staff capacity and keeps patients safe

Digital rehabilitation being incorporated into the orthopaedic pathway has been invaluable to Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, allowing them to reduce patient time in hospital, increase staff capacity, and create cost savings. Find out more in our innovation summary.

Top tips for facilitating virtual learning sessions

To support teams who are new to hosting virtual learning sessions, and encourage webinar engagement and interaction, West of England Academic Health Science Network have shared their learning and top tips from hosting their highly successful weekly QI webinars. Find out more in our innovation summary.

Creating a remote prehabilitation programme to overcome physical barriers

To overcome restrictions on face-to-face appointments, one team developed a new prehabilitation programme to support cancer patients remotely. The Kent and Medway Prehabilitation Programme team have successfully provided nutritional advice, exercise, and psychological support to patients and reported a 98% compliance rate. The programme also enabled them to reach more patients across the county, overcoming restrictions for face-to-face consultations. Find out more in our innovation summary.

Sharing ideas whilst working remotely

Working remotely can be a barrier to collaboration, and result in fewer opportunities for staff to share ideas, and learn from one another. Find out how one team are helping enable staff to share their learning through designing Pinterest boards to suit QI needs in our innovation summary.

Learn how NHS Near Me can help involve learners in virtual consultations

NHS Education for Scotland are offering a series of webinars aimed at Allied Health Professionals who are using NHS Near Me to carry out remote consultations. Find our more in our innovation summary.

Digitally enabled decision-making in routine out-patient settings

One team’s testing of a Scottish Quality Registry for Rheumatology

A Clinical Rheumatology team has successfully trialed a new registry with outpatients at Rheumatoid Arthritis Clinics, reporting a 93% patient satisfaction rate. By providing the clinic staff with additional information about the patient’s specific needs, this initiative helps facilitate meaningful dialogue and shared decision-making. Find out more in our innovation summary.

Smartphone app empowers patients with long-term conditions

New technology can help teams find new and creative ways to connect with patients and deliver essential care. A joint initiative between Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and ViiV Healthcare have designed a new app for patients. Find out more in our innovation summary.

Online videos help staff deliver care

Using videos within care pathways can help inform patients of upcoming treatments, enable self-management of their condition, and reduce the need for follow-up appointments. In partnership with a digital health agency, a Trust has developed an online health and care video library to help support staff and service users. Find out more in our innovation summary.

A COVID-19 contingency idea to become a post-COVID-19 mixed reality

A new headset is taking the bedside off the ward

A new headset allows clinical staff to assess patients remotely, reducing the number of staff needed on-site. This can help prevent risk of infection and reduces the number of staff on wards. Find out more in our innovation summary.

New text messaging service saves service time and money

A new SMS outpatient appointment letters system has been launched by University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMB). This ensures patients are updated about their appointments in a quick and efficient manner, whilst saving the Trust over £50,000, reducing their carbon footprint and increasing staff capacity. Find out more in our innovation summary.

Capturing patient wellbeing and experience virtually

Delays to treatments due to COVID-19 can greatly affect patients’ wellbeing. To monitor this, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are extending the online use of patient-reported outcome measurements (PROMs) and patient-reported experience measurements (PREMs) across multiple cancer services, which was previously piloted by the Gynaecological Cancer Services. This informs team prioritisation decisions and the identification of patients needing urgent clinical review. Find out more in our innovation summary.

Refining your pathway to ensure patient and staff safety using digital tools

Experiences of a prenatal care team

A prenatal care team in Michigan redesigned a care pathway to ensure patient and staff safety during COVID-19 by using new telemedicine. They faced (and continue to face) the challenge of being unable to deliver the 12-14 face-to-face prenatal appointments recommended by US national guidelines. Therefore the team embedded critical pathway milestones which could be delivered virtually and created opportunities for patients to ‘personalise’ their care with an online programme of group sessions, classes and chat forums to ensure expectant parents still have access to the social support and mentoring as pre-COVID-19.

The team also increased their capacity to deliver this new redesign pathway by training medical students to support staff and engage with patients. Additionally, they developed online resources and training for staff and appointed physician champions to ensure all staff felt supported and confident in the care they were delivering via new digital tools.

"By designing in-person care around critical services, maintaining connections virtually, and thinking flexibly about support, we can develop tailored care pathways that best meet patients’ needs."

Read the case study to learn more about their experience.