NHS planning guidance includes a target of 25% of outpatient activity being delivered remotely by telephone or video consultation. This would have benefits in terms of carbon and air pollution reduction.
Is this realistic for stroke outpatients and can we do even better?
During the first wave of covid, all our stroke follow up clinics in Brighton were by telephone consultation and had a high patient satisfaction rate (90%) as well as reducing patient travel - estimated 215km of car travel saved per clinic.
How are stroke departments currently managing outpatient clinics and how can we balance 'greener' remote consultations with ensuring patient safety?
During the pre-covid era, all hospital outpatient consultations were face-to-face. Covid related changes have now forced us to re-think outpatient pathways and preserve certain positive changes made in the name of Covid. Our trust has asked us to reduce outpatient footfall by at least 70% and we continue to provide remote consultations for follow-ups while trying to keep the face-to-face for new patient consults. Reduction in collateral transportation is definitely a welcome for many patients and for the environment.
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