UK trying to end face to face medical appointments?

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**djones520**

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/360369/End-of-the-Doctor-s-surgery

A BID to save nearly £3billion by slashing appointments with a doctor and treating patients via computer will put lives at risk, ministers were warned.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is planning a technological revolution that could spell the end of the traditional doctor’s surgery.

A new system of “virtual clinics” is being planned in which GPs connect with patients via iPads and Skype, an idea that NHS bosses are importing from India.

The reforms would save £2.9billion “almost immediately” and improve the lives of most patients, for example by avoiding the need to find child care during appointments, Health Minister Dr Dan Poulter said last week.

However, critics are concerned the initiative would create a two-tier NHS in which the less technologically able, particularly the elderly, would be left behind.

Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham called the plan “dangerous”, while Age UK said cutting the number of personal appointments would erode the vital trust between doctor and patient.

Any of the UK posters have more info to share on this?

On paper it certainly sounds like a good idea, but I work in a customer service industry that has been consolidating from face to face service, down to purely electronic, and from my point of view I feel the service given has suffered. The Air Force has consolidated the work of roughly 10 weather stations into my one unit, where air crews used to get their flight weather in a face to face setting. Now they receive it electronically. By doing that, the AF has been able to justify increasing our workload to a point that the quality of the product we offer has suffered.

What is their plan on gathering necessary physical information as well? Everything I've had to see a Dr. for over the last 5 years has dealt with musculature issues. They can't offer a proper examination via skype. How are they going to get BP readings, pulse and temperature rates, etc?

**Ouze**

On the other hand, imagine how much time could be saved diagnosing and prescribing for, like, common rashes, like Ringworm or Tinea or stuff like that over Skype. I think it would be a useful additional tool.

**Frazzled**

Sounds like gak to me. This is the future of socialized healthcare? Seriously?

**Ouze**

I think it's the future of healthcare, period.

**Palindrome**

Ouze wrote:
I think it's the future of healthcare, period.

Basically this. Its also a lot more convenient from the patients point of view, no more sitting around in waiting rooms. This is a logical result of our wired world.

The main problem with it is that a physical diagnosis is still needed for most illnesses beyond things like 'flu and there will be difficulties building up a doctor/patient relationship. It would still be useful for an initial assesment though. My wife's GP already does something like this, initial routine assesments are always done over the phone.

**Do_I_Not_Like_That**

Another nail in the coffin of the NHS.

I'm all in favour of using the web to book appointments, but this is doomed to fail. Given that patient/doctor contact is already beind reduced i.e they can't get you out of the door quick enough, this will put more lives at risk.

As for £3 Billion saved, what will we spend it on? Probably bombing Arabs and building schools in Afghanistan, which will no doubt be torn down the minute we leave.

**Frazzled**

Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:
Another nail in the coffin of the NHS.

I'm all in favour of using the web to book appointments, but this is doomed to fail. Given that patient/doctor contact is already beind reduced i.e they can't get you out of the door quick enough, this will put more lives at risk.

As for £3 Billion saved, what will we spend it on? Probably bombing Arabs and building schools in Afghanistan, which will no doubt be torn down the minute we leave.

So how do they do the vitals or any sort of test? When I am going into for a regular checkup I've had lots of work already done-blood and other work, and this weird artery scanner thingy.

On the polsitive I could be eating a Swiss Cake ROll from home when the doc told me I need to lose weight. Would be good for the zombie breakout too.
"Aow are you feeling?"
"mmmmmmmmeeerrrrhhhhhh"
"And how's the wife?"
"bbbrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaainzzzzzzz"
"Excellent" (pushes a button) "some fellows will be along to sort you out in just a few minutes."

**Palindrome**

Frazzled wrote:

So how do they do the vitals or any sort of test? When I am going into for a regular checkup I've had lots of work already done-blood and other work, and this weird artery scanner thingy.

Quite obviously they won't. This will entirely be for people with colds and other fairly trivial ailments.

**Kilkrazy**

Face to face appointments are an absolutely fundamental part of medical diagnosis.

A doctor often would not be able to find "signs" without physical examination.

Signs are the things that an illness causes which the patient does not notice.

Patients obviously can only complain of "symptoms", which are the things they notice.

**Mr. Burning**

Palindrome wrote:
Frazzled wrote:

So how do they do the vitals or any sort of test? When I am going into for a regular checkup I've had lots of work already done-blood and other work, and this weird artery scanner thingy.

Quite obviously they won't. This will entirely be for people with colds and other fairly trivial ailments.

Gawd lets hope so. Its a sad state of affairs when the NHS has to spend our cash on flyers and numerous posters that state antibiotics do not work on the common cold. Get rid of the numpties with sniffles and that''ll save the docs some time for real cranks, like me.

Actually, less people coughing and spluttering in a waiting room will probably decrease rates of infection all round.

**Frazzled**

And more deaths from missed illnesses.

Are doctors covered from being sued?

**Testify**

More tory bollocks.

Next thread?

**djones520**

Testify wrote:
More tory bollocks.

Next thread?

Could you translate to American English please?

**Testify**

djones520 wrote:
Testify wrote:
More tory bollocks.

Next thread?

Could you translate to American English please?

More right-wing aristocrats taking away the services of the poor

**MeanGreenStompa**

Frazzled wrote:
Sounds like gak to me. This is the future of socialized healthcare? Seriously?

It's what happens when the right wing conservative party, who've tried to move us closer to the United States lack of healthcare model, get voted in. The people tend to get quite annoyed when cuts and evasion start getting deployed by these guys and they usually back down when they've pushed their luck too far. Then the left gets voted in and rebuilds it again. The right cuts, the left spends, remind you of anywhere else?

**Kilkrazy**

An obsession with using "efficiency" produced by "the market" and "competition" to "improve" public services.

**whembly**

Testify wrote:
More tory bollocks.

Next thread?

Er... what?

There's a growing need for this...

Not sure about normal Family Doctor stuff... but "remote" doctoring will be the norm soon due to the scarcity of some specialist.

It's even starting where I work at in the ICU, where the patient is constantly monitored via camera and other data feeds. This allows the clinician constant supervision and specialist can remotely assist.

**Frazzled**

Testify wrote:
djones520 wrote:
Testify wrote:
More tory bollocks.

Next thread?

Could you translate to American English please?

More right-wing aristocrats taking away the services of the poor

This is why, if you have a one payer system, a parallel private system should be illegal.

**Testify**

whembly wrote:
Testify wrote:
More tory bollocks.

Next thread?

Er... what?

There's a growing need for this...

Not sure about normal Family Doctor stuff... but "remote" doctoring will be the norm soon due to the scarcity of some specialist.

It's even starting where I work at in the ICU, where the patient is constantly monitored via camera and other data feeds. This allows the clinician constant supervision and specialist can remotely assist.

If doctors are cool with it, yes. Not as a substitute for actual appointments though, doubly so if it is done out of a lack of funding.

Frazzled wrote:
This is why, if you have a one payer system, a parallel private system should be illegal.

Yeah. The state pays for their training, then they bugger off to earn more money in the private sector.

Yet the right-wing media still feeds us bollocks about the state paying more than private. My dad's retired now but he used to be a pyschotherapist in the NHS. The pay was good, but he could have earned 3 times what he did if he went private.

But, nope. According to the media the state still pays more than the private sector.

**whembly**

Testify wrote:
whembly wrote:
Testify wrote:
More tory bollocks.

Next thread?

Er... what?

There's a growing need for this...

Not sure about normal Family Doctor stuff... but "remote" doctoring will be the norm soon due to the scarcity of some specialist.

It's even starting where I work at in the ICU, where the patient is constantly monitored via camera and other data feeds. This allows the clinician constant supervision and specialist can remotely assist.

If doctors are cool with it, yes. Not as a substitute for actual appointments though, doubly so if it is done out of a lack of funding.

Frazzled wrote:
This is why, if you have a one payer system, a parallel private system should be illegal.

Yeah. The state pays for their training, then they bugger off to earn more money in the private sector.

Yet the right-wing media still feeds us bollocks about the state paying more than private. My dad's retired now but he used to be a pyschotherapist in the NHS. The pay was good, but he could have earned 3 times what he did if he went private.

But, nope. According to the media the state still pays more than the private sector.

I'm confused... is your "right-wingers" the same as ours?

**Da Boss**

Nah, Torys just hate poor people. Your right wing does that WHILE loving jesus and judging sinners

**Easy E**

Ouze wrote:
I think it's the future of healthcare, period.

I think it is the future of just about everything.

**KalashnikovMarine**

Seems a rather piss poor idea if you ask me.

I can see the future now, gritty diagnosticians and rogue general practitioners seeing patients in shadowy back alleys for untraceable cash transactions...

**SilverMK2**

A lot of doctors already write and phone patients to give results and discuss further options/treatment and changes in symptoms rather than see them in clinics (or to decide if they need to see them in clinics in cases where symptoms have changed). Saves a lot of time and hassle for everyone.

Clearly, it is not an option in every case, nor should it be. However, you don't need to see everyone to be able to move their medical care forward.

**azazel the cat**

Heh, press "1" if you are experiencing chest pains.

**Frazzled**

My GPs, VM actually has something like that.

"If you are calling about an emergency, please hang up and dial 911 immediately."

**SilverMK2**

Frazzled wrote:
My GPs, VM actually has something like that.

"If you are calling about an emergency, please hang up and dial 911 immediately."

Most of the GP's around here do as well. A lot of the GP surgeries are also connected to the regional out of hours emergency call centre (although for some reason it results in a period of about half an hour where you can't get through to anyone as the line is switched over).

Unfortunately my job involves calling a lot of hospitals and GP's so I get exposed to a wide range of different automated and live systems

**Testify**

whembly wrote:

I'm confused... is your "right-wingers" the same as ours?

Our Prime Minister has literally never met anyone working class socially. Same for the chancellor and about 40% of the cabinet (I can't remember the actual number).

The core of these form a clique around the prime minister with most of the rubbish/irrelevent jobs taken by token poor people.

**whembly**

Testify wrote:
whembly wrote:

I'm confused... is your "right-wingers" the same as ours?

Our Prime Minister has literally never met anyone working class socially. Same for the chancellor and about 40% of the cabinet (I can't remember the actual number).

The core of these form a clique around the prime minister with most of the rubbish/irrelevent jobs taken by token poor people.

Aha... makes sense.

I've been doing some reading on UK politics.... man... it's just as messed up as we are

. Honestly, having a hard time keeping what's what straight.

Misery loves company eh?

**Albatross**

Testify wrote:
whembly wrote:

I'm confused... is your "right-wingers" the same as ours?

Our Prime Minister has literally never met anyone working class socially. Same for the chancellor and about 40% of the cabinet (I can't remember the actual number).

The core of these form a clique around the prime minister with most of the rubbish/irrelevent jobs taken by token poor people.

This is just baseless Tory-bashing, like so many of your posts.