During the first lockdown, when we ran our Advancing Healthcare Awards ESTEEM recognition gallery, we were intrigued how many submissions from allied health professionals across the UK mentioned that they had started to use Attend Anywhere. Surveys show that, unable to have consultations the usual way, both patients and clinicians were highly satisfied with using Attend Anywhere for virtual appointments. Many patients said they preferred video consultations to face-to-face, as a more convenient option.
We decided to find out more about how this company has helped make it possible for patients to attend their appointment remotely and how it has become synonymous with easy-to-use telehealth. Chris Ryan, its founder and video consulting program manager, told us about his 20-year commitment to making video consultations an everyday option for everyone. Played out mostly in the Australian state of Victoria, he adapted the technology as it developed to make it a ‘no big deal’ experience for clinicians and patients alike.
He’s honest about challenges along the way. ‘Do not confuse initial excitement and enthusiasm with on-going sustainability, and it is difficult to get an orthopaedic surgeon to change rooms to where the video conferencing system is!’ he says.
Attend Anywhere has been part of NHS Scotland’s telehealth initiative since 2016 and programmes that were being piloted in England and Wales became rapidly mainstream when the pandemic hit. We are all now all Zoomers and Teamers, so what’s all the fuss about? Chris is always looking for ways to describe how video conferencing is different from video consulting. ‘Like turtles and tortoises, they are similar, but one lives mainly in water, the other on land. Conferencing is outbound, provider-centric and simple; consulting is inbound, patient-centric and complex. ‘
The key lesson Chris learnt during his journey is that while the right technology is vital, video consulting will never be widely adopted unless the process fits seamlessly into the normal running of a clinic as a regular, lightweight extension of the existing way of doing things. No special rooms or equipment, no joining instructions, IDs, passwords, patients just click the button to join. Privacy and security are assured and referral to another clinician during a call is straightforward.
During the pandemic, this became a lifeline for allied health professionals trying to reach people; in the post-COVID world it will surely remain as an option for many people not able or not wanting to travel, while becoming a big contributor to the greener healthcare agenda.
The great news is that Attend Anywhere has joined us for the 2021 Advancing Healthcare awards as sponsor of the AHP clinical leadership category, as a way of recognising the amazing work that AHPs do.
Alison Dunn
January 2021