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. Spotlight on terminology. We get queries about the terms AttendAnywhere, NHSNearMe, and NearMe. Some use the terms interchangeably even in the same document grrr Others ask what is the difference. In the next few tweets, we will seek to remedy this! #NearMe
@attendanywhere is the name of the platform, purpose-built to meet the virtual (video) needs of the health and care sectors across the world. In 2016 @scotgovhealth procured a license available all 14 territorial boards @christelehealth @hazelarcher @TECScotland
Initially, uptake was low mostly Northern @NHSGrampian @NHSHighland using it and linked to this linking virtually with @NHSOrkney @NHS_Shetland @NHSWI
The first systematic use across a service [cf. an individual clinician or specialty] was #PharmacyAnywhere in @NHSHighland through work of @clareupnorth with funding from @HealthFdn It was for clinical medication reviews across vast areas of North and West to reduce travel
Importantly Pharmacy Anywhere embraced all options: phone, video, email, and face to face to optimise a person-centered and safe service, while reducing the need to travel.
Pharmacy Anywhere evaluated positively and highlighted the wider challenges and potential to use @attendanywhere across the @NHSHighland board area. With funding and support from @TECScotland @hazelarcher, the next chapter got underway #evolving #access #coproduction #QI
With the challenge of tens of thousands of people travelling 100s of miles for outpatient appointments @clareupnorth was seconded by @NHSHighlnad to look at scaling up and embedding process at board level. This was at the end of 2017 and into 2018.
Meanwhile, other boards notably @NHSGrampian and others were continuing to use. At this stage, it was still referred to as #AttendAnywhere (and is why there is still some legacy nomenclature and branding). But hang on what happened next you wonder?
The work that @clareupnorth @NHSHighland got underway and was co-produced with patients and staff initially in #Caithness It was through this phase of work that @NHSNearMe branding first used by @NHSHighland and our Twitter handle which we still use today. Stick with it ....
The name #NHSNearMe was co-produced with patients and the public. Initially, it was used for outpatients in #Caithness in a which @trishgreenhalgh, in her evaluation described as 'Triadic hub-spoke' And that is?
Triadic hub-spoke? Clinician in specialist 'hub' centre connects to the patient in remote 'spoke' health centre with an additional staff member (nurse, GP, healthcare support present. This was used for access to secondary care services from remote settings.
The rooms in the hubs were designed to use optimise sound and visual quality; guarantee connectivity, and support on hand to assist patients and/or staff to connect. It was and funded and supported by @TECScotland under the guise of @hazelarcher with one eye to a wider roll-out
Initially, #NHSNearMe was only used for outpatients and in 'Hubs' but as the co-production progressed across wider parts of Highland the public suggested why travel at all and why only for outpatients?
In recognition of this wider perspective and potential wider use: social care, public sector, third sector; the NHS element was dropped and #NearMe became the national branding now used to describe video appointment services underpinned by @attendanywhere
Shortly after #COVID19 hit that well-developed vision was ready to be scaled up such that today it has moved from 200 appointments to 22,000 per week in health across all boards and services #NearMe
And true to the vision @hazelarcher @TECScotland and team are rolling it out across #social @irissorg #housing @SFHA #public @CitAdviceScot @COSLA #thirdsector in partnership with eg @ALLIANCEScot @scvotweet @alzscot
