Background

Various remote consultation tools can be used by the NHS to help manage the Covid-19 outbreak.

Attend Anywhere is a one such video consultation tool that is being used by the NHS to help manage remote consultations. You can find a very good example of how this is being used here. It shows that patients enter a waiting room and are then seen by a doctor who starts their 121 call.

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How Attend Anywhere can be used alongside PKB

AA has a generic link for each organisation, for example (https://nhs.attendanywhere.com/resourcecentre/Content/Resources/PDFs/NHS.AA_Fact_Sheet_Screen_FA.PDF) with individual waiting rooms that a patient can join to be seen if they have a scheduled appointment.

How PKB support access

1. Embed the link to join the waiting room in relevant places or for relevant teams in PKB in the:

   • Welcome message; make sure it is clear that this is only for scheduled appointments

   • Care plan; ensure it is clear that this is only for scheduled appointments

   • Library of resources

2. The best way to utilise this would be to configure your Trust Integration Engine (TIE) (which can send patients their appointments into PKB) to also send the link as an addition to that appointment information (http://dev.patientsknowbest.com/home/hl7-api/messages/siu-s12 - PV1 or NTE)

3. These can be manually sent to a patient via the appointment screen or the events and messaging screen.

All of these options are beneficial as a reminder for patients of where to go to access these appointments; and especially useful in the context of the appointment itself and therefore, all the information is still needed.

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PKB supporting remote care throughout the care pathway

Before and after the consultation

1. Pre-consultation resources - links to external resources and contained resources within PKB to support the pathway from the start, including sharing of prevention techniques.

For example, by giving everyone clear care plans and links to the changing advice in one consistent place.

2. Messaging - The ability for the information discussed as part of the consultation to be recorded digitally for the patient to access/share with carers or family members, post consultation.

3. Remote support - A range of resources to help post consultation to ensure that those who are able to stay isolated and out of healthcare settings, feel confident to continue to do so including:

• A care plan to help track symptoms and action plan of when it is no longer necessary to self-isolate but to seek additional medical help and where appropriate medical help should be sought.

• Messaging to allow patients to continue to communicate with clinical teams/digital and remotely.

• Links to up-to-date resources (i.e. via NHS 111)

• A record that can then be shared with other professionals if a patient does need to present to another service for a more comprehensive account of a patients’ interactions with the NHS, or tracking of their symptoms to date.

Digital interaction with the patient is not just about the one time video consultation but, all the support around it that gives patients the confidence to self-manage their condition where appropriate.

Equipped with a record to store their health journey, the ability to share this with their care network, and a reference point for support, PKB can be used alongside other video consultation tools to provide a comprehensive remote digital care package.