Clinicians have asked for some guidance on how to conduct telephone and video consultations. NHSE are delivering a webinar, ‘using remote triaging and online consultations in managing COVID-19’, taking place on Tuesday 17 March which is intended to support you with this. Please register at this link Furthermore, the below resources may provide you with some useful advice to help you with both types of consultations.
Telephone: Quick telephone consultation tips for Primary Care
Video Consultations: Top Tips for GPs and Primary Care
We would urge you to consider keeping this channel open for your patient booking, but instead move all appointments to telephone only. Following a risk assessment, if your practice wishes to turn off, or already has turned off, the ability for patients to book online appointments due to the safety of staff and patients, please email the Primary Care Team
Remote Working We need to ensure that Primary Care staff are optimally equipped to work remotely when necessary and as soon as possible.
Thank you to all those practices who have now tested their laptops and identified issues that need to be resolved. The CCG will be in contact with you to arrange for these to be collected and appropriate upgrades made. For those practices who have not yet responded please can I ask that you do so as soon as possible.
The CCG will receive a number of laptops this week for GP Practices; in order to be fair in our distribution we are trying to ensure these go to where most needed first. We will contact you to arrange delivery of these laptops in the next few days. We recommend these go to clinicians and prescribers as a priority.
We have also purchased a number of extra licenses for Away from my Desk. Please could you inform the CCG if you require extras, please can I ask that you only request the number of licences that you absolutely need as there are limited numbers available at this time.
Please read the information packs emailed today (16 Mar 2020) that include guides for AccuRx (video consultation and SMS messaging) and guides for your clinical system.
IMPORTANT
It is very important that we maintain the maximum bandwidth space for GP Practices to access remote working when required. Therefore please can I ask you to ask your practice staff to minimise unnecessary internet use.