Web and Video Conferencing Trends in the NHS

Transcription

1 Survey Partners Web and Video Conferencing Trends in the NHS Survey Report 2017

2 Contents The Survey 3 Survey Methodology and Respondents Profile 4 Key Findings 5 Conclusion 10 Acknowledgements The survey team at igov Survey would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who were kind enough to take part - and especially to those who found the time to offer additional insight through their extra comments. We would also like to thank our partner, Brother UK, for their assistance in compiling the survey questions, scrutinising the responses and analysing the results. Web and Video Conferencing Trends in the NHS 2017 is copyright igov Survey. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, all rights including those in copyright in the content of this publication are owned by or controlled for these purposes by igov Survey. Except as otherwise expressly permitted under copyright law or igov Survey s Terms of Use, the content of this publication are owned by or controlled may not be copied, reproduced, republished, downloaded, posted, broadcast or transmitted in any way without first obtaining igov Survey s written permission or that of the copyright owner. To contact the igov Survey team: speet@ingenium-ids.org Tel: Address: FAO Sandra Peet, Ingenium IDS Ltd, Mansion House, Wellington Road South, Stockport, Cheshire, SK1 3UA Page 2 of 11 Web and Video Conferencing Trends in the NHS 2017

3 The Survey The outcome of last year s Wachter Review has been a renewed focus by Government on the creation of a digital NHS. Digital technology has the potential to revolutionise both the way the healthcare system runs, and how patients interact with it. New ways of working such as online conferencing are growing in popularity as it enables collaboration between clinicians and in particular, allows for greater efficiency in internal meetings. But how does it fit in with the Government s new NHS.net website due to launch next year? This new site is expected to allow patients to access a range of services online such as registering with a GP, accessing healthcare records, or getting medical advice. Three GP practices across Essex and Greater Manchester already reportedly offer online video consultations 1 with others expected to follow suit in the future so this is a huge potential area for healthcare organisations to explore. With this in mind, the igov Survey team worked with Brother UK, to consider how healthcare organisations are using video and/or web conferencing solutions to not only improve collaboration between staff and departments internally but also improve the service user and patient experience. It also considered the types of environment in which conferencing solutions are used or could potentially be used by both staff and servicer users whilst it also sought to understand both the benefits and barriers of rolling the solution out organisation-wide. Following extensive review, we have now collated the resulting outcomes and the following report contains a summary of our key findings. 1 Jamieson. S (2016) NHS offers appointments with a doctor via webcam rather than in person The Telegraph, 20 September [Online]. Available at: (Accessed on 27 January 2017) Page 3 of 11 Web and Video Conferencing Trends in the NHS 2017

4 Survey Methodology and Respondents Profile This survey was conducted by igov Survey in collaboration with Brother UK. The project ran from Monday 14th November 2016 to Monday 12th December Survey respondents represented a broad cross-section of roles across the NHS and Clinical Commissioning Groups. This included: Chairman, Medical Director, Health Informatics Director, Clinical Director, Managing Director, Chief Information Officer, IT Director, Director of Information and IT, Digital Communications Lead, Head of Communications, Head of Organisational Capacity Development, Head of Finance, Head of Resilience and Emergency Planning, Head of IT and Data, Head of Planning and Development and Head of People Services. 99 individuals from 84 unique organisations participated in the survey, each of whom will have received a complimentary copy of the findings report. There was no inducement to take part in the survey, and Brother UK was not introduced as the survey partner. The results displayed throughout this report are based on those who fully completed the questionnaire and are displayed as a percentage of this group, unless explicitly stated otherwise. 11% FIGURE 1: Sector Breakdown (%) NHS Clinical Comissioning Groups 89% Page 4 of 11 Web and Video Conferencing Trends in the NHS 2017

5 Key Findings Collaboration is key - Organisations are exploring new ways of collaboration and working, with a third of participants (31%) telling us that service users are benefiting from this The majority (47%) encourage staff to use a variety of collaboration tools but this is not consistent organisation-wide. A further two-fifths use traditional channels in the main, but are actively encouraged to embrace newer ways of working. This is promising and backs up the NHS plans to go digital as part of the Government s overall Digital by Default strategy. FIGURE 2: With regards to collaborative ways of working online, which of the following statements best represents your organisation? We actively promote collaborative working online and our users are already benefitting as a result We encourage our staff to use a variety of collaboration tools but this is not consistent organisation-wide We use mainly traditional communication to collaborate, but are encouraged to embrace new ways of working such as consulting staff and patients remotely Other - please specify 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% Page 5 of 11 Web and Video Conferencing Trends in the NHS 2017

6 New technologies are on the rise, with three out of five participants opting for /sms as the chosen method of communication with patients and service users A further fifth of participants are opting for video/web conferencing and remote consultations, but a high proportion still prefer face to face and telephone consultations. Engagement with colleagues and multidisciplinary teams follows the same trend however, four-fifths of participants are using video/web conferencing. This signifies the growing adoption of video and web conferencing for internal use and later in the report, this is further supported by the part it plays in staff training and development. However, more needs to be done to identify and address the barriers to its use for patient or service user consultations. FIGURE 3: In which of the following ways do you communicate with: Patients/Service Users Colleagues/Multidisciplinary team Face to Face appointments Telephone consultations /SMS Video or Web Conferencing Remote consultations/meetings via web-based tools 0% 15% 30% 45% 60% 75% 90% Page 6 of 11 Web and Video Conferencing Trends in the NHS 2017

7 Of those who consult via video or web, the main benefit is the reduction in travel time, with 32% seeing it as a good alternative for those who are unable to leave their homes 19% of organisations currently use video conferencing solutions for remote consultations. Over a third don t consult in this way but a further 49% would potentially use it. Clearly, this demonstrates that web conferencing is an enabler for service users who have difficulties travelling to appointments. However, many organisations are still on their journey to doing so. FIGURE 4: If you consult via video or web conferencing, please tell us which of the following you believe to be benefits of doing so? Please tick all that apply. Reduction in travel time for patients Ability to increase number of available appointments Reduction in the number of missed appointments Ability to conduct appointments outside of normal working hours Offering an alternative option for patients, for example, to aid those who are unable to leave their homes Allow for an extra level of support for district nurses, such as with smoking cessation programmes We don t consult in this way Other - please specify 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% Page 7 of 11 Web and Video Conferencing Trends in the NHS 2017

8 The good news is that 94% of respondents told us they currently or would potentially use video/web conferencing to deliver staff training across different locations In fact, the ability to reduce staff travel for trainings/meetings/project delivery is seen as the main benefit for staff. 73% of respondents currently use conferencing solutions for multi-disciplinary team meetings. However, with regards to adopting conferencing tools for staff, the majority (58%) told us it is used by certain departments only. Therefore, whilst conferencing is widely adopted across the NHS, there are issues with availability across internal departments. FIGURE 5: For which of the following functions would your organisation potentially use/currently use/have no plans to use a video or web conferencing solution? Delivering staff training to staff based at different locations Potentially Use Currently Use No Plans to Use Multi-disciplinary team meetings Running internal staff events Running external meetings with other Trusts and partners Conducting remote consultations with patients Supporting patients undergoing complimentary therapies via regular contact with or support from a nurse/ practitioner 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% Complimentary therapies are growing in use across the NHS, for example, the Smoking Cessation programme. Whilst only 9% currently use conferencing tools for this, 54% of participants told us they would potentially use it for this service. Page 8 of 11 Web and Video Conferencing Trends in the NHS 2017

9 Concerns over performance of IT systems such as poor connectivity is the single biggest barrier preventing organisations from using video or web conferencing The biggest IT support benefit sought by respondents is flexible licensing to allow more staff to use it and this would certainly go a little towards widening availability across departments. However, just over half told us that culture change is the most important factor for their organisation with regards to embracing new, digital ways of working. FIGURE 6: In your opinion, what is the single biggest barrier preventing you from exploring the use of web or video conferencing? Please select from the list below. 10% 24% 18% 9% Concerns over management/organisation-wide buy-in Concerns over compliance, data security and patient confidentiality Concerns over performance of our IT systems, for example, poor connectivity Difficulty in convincing patients they will get the exact same service and/or ensuring patients feel comfortable with the format Other - please specify 39% Page 9 of 11 Web and Video Conferencing Trends in the NHS 2017

10 Conclusion Andy Ostler, Head of Business Unit, OmniJoin, at Brother The insight in this report is encouraging in terms of the openness of NHS professionals to adopting web and video conferencing, but, at the same time, it is also a reminder that there is a long way to go in realising its full potential. It s clear that the technology is already being used by a sizeable proportion of clinicians to make communication with colleagues more efficient. Team meetings, training and collaboration with partners in other parts of the service are all areas where video conferencing has clearly already become widely used. It s interesting that many practices are taking a less formal approach to adopting the technology. The fact that video calls are taking hold organically in many cases rather than being prescribed across the board is testament to the benefits available. For the developers of any technology, building a system that users actively enjoy and benefit from using is the key challenge. The responses also show that we are starting to see the NHS introducing video conferencing into its interaction with patients. While this approach is still clearly in its budding stages, it s heartening that, in an organisation so understandably risk-averse, these new approaches are being tried out. While the biggest benefit of allowing remote consultations highlighted in the report was reduction of travel time, it s interesting that the ability to give patients more choice of how to see their doctor came a close second. This is a clear sign that the clinicians who are beginning to use this technology see it not only as a way to increase efficiency, but also to improve the quality of service delivered to patients. As a representative of a company that has developed a video conferencing platform, the results on the perceived barriers to adoption are quite surprising. The most commonly cited barrier is the quality of IT systems and internet connections. In fact, the best video conferencing platforms are able to run on the vast majority of legacy technology and are able to cope with very limited bandwidth. The feedback indicates there is an important education job to be done by software developers in terms of the capabilities of the latest platforms. The more fundamental barrier highlighted by this report the need for cultural change is something that will likely take longer to address. However, as video conferencing and the benefits it can bring continue to be demonstrated by the early adopters, and as the Government continues its push towards a digital NHS, I believe we will see this shift begin to accelerate in the years ahead. Page 10 of 11 Web and Video Conferencing Trends in the NHS 2017

11 Contact Us Visit: LinkedIn: Brother UK Company Page Page 11 of 11 Web and Video Conferencing Trends in the NHS 2017