In past issues of Staff News we have featured the role of ‘virtual clinics’ as part of the Creating Capacity to Care Challenge. The scheme is designed to help release valuable appointment time, free up inpatient beds and reduce the need for patients to travel to hospital. More and more departments are coming on board, including the Neurology Department.
Staff have introduced a number of telephone clinics including a Rapid Access Neurology Telephone clinic (RANT). This provides a quick response to a wide range of patient queries including those relating to medication. The response from local patients has been very positive.
Epilepsy Specialist Nurse Darren Wilkinson explained: “The department is extremely busy with the number of review patients for the Epilepsy Service increasing from 600 to more than 900 over the past three years. Even so, the team has managed to reduce waiting times from 20 weeks in 2014 to 14 weeks in 2017. We have also been able to cancel one outpatient clinic per week, saving 156 outpatient reviews over six months and saved a further 260 outpatient appointments by moving these to telephone clinics. Patients find telephone contact very beneficial as many people with epilepsy do not drive.”
In addition, Epilepsy and Huntington’s clinics have gone ‘paper light’ and, with the use of the electronic outpatient notes, are hoping to see a positive impact on administration and clerical pressures. The purchase of telephone headsets and the introduction of a hopper system have further helped streamline administration systems.
To find out more about the Capacity to Care Challenge or register your project visit the staff intranet: http://staffnet.fv.scot.nhs.uk/systems/campaigns/capacitytocare/
