I’ve been to London to see the…..

Getting the best out of remote and digital general practice

Some of you will know I live in beautiful scenic Cumbria. So, you’ll have an understanding all about lack of public transport and how flipping hard it is to get anywhere in a hurry.

Some of you will also know that I have a touch of FOMO, so when I get an invite to two things at the same time, I struggle to decide and often think, maybe I can do both.

The dilemma

Our Redmoor team were having a redesign session on 24^th April, partly in response to some NHS contract changes, partly because we’re 12month into one programme and 3years into another and we wanted to reflect.  Also, because we want to look forward and make sure that our products and services support a hugely stressed system in General Practice, and we have the expertise in the team to help.  

Then, I get this invite to an event presenting the findings of quality research by the teams at Oxford, Plymouth and the Nuffield Trust, delivered in the House of Commons, for MPs to listen in order to understand the issues and complexity of modern general practice remote care.  The research team have created this summary to share, so that others can learn from the 2-year study and build the findings into their work. 

I’ve been involved on the edges, as part of the expert advisory group and as a participant in a series of workshops, but this is very much part of my everyday work and something I’ve been passionate about in the NHS for many years.  How could I turn that invite down.

I decided to attempt to do both sessions.  One from the train, the other in person. 

Plan for the unexpected

What I didn’t plan for was a horse event, total disruption to the road network, and it being ‘surgery day’ at the House of Commons, resulting in the longest queue to get in, the fastest transit through the building and security, and arriving just slightly late for the session (along with three others, reassuringly – I wasn’t the only person who mis-planned).  For those expecting selfies with the Ministers – no time for that I’m afraid.

The event in person

The strongest message I heard is that people need and value continuity of care to get the most from the experience, prioritised over quick ‘transactional’ access.  Secondly, that delivering and receiving care remotely (telephone, online, video, asynchronously) can be safe (see Table, p10)  but that training and developing the right culture is as fragmented as the technology used to deliver care. Thirdly, that the purchasing of technology is not just about the product, but the variability of its implementation has resulted in unequal impact (see my other blogposts). Finally, that although the NHS has plans to embed this into education, it will take a long time, and General Practice need the help now.  

Although it was a flying visit, I met and hugged some incredible people that I’ve only ever seen on screen or interacted over socials. I sat beside someone who also hailed from the North and it transpired that I knew their father – how Cumbrian is that!

What happens next

The research team are sharing their learning on a public zoom event on 22^nd May, so watch out for details if you’d like to join us.

The event from the train

Back at the Redmoor office, the team had a successful day too and now have a clear plan for our digital and transformation products and services, so watch out over the coming weeks/months for updates.