There is little doubt that the NHS is one of the most impressive healthcare systems around the world, and a system which would be near-impossible to replicate in the modern world. With that being said, the NHS is not always operating at the high standards which it has set for itself and there have been a number of issues which it has battled with in recent years.
In the last few years for example, there have been quite a few instances of negligence within the health service which of course can not be tolerated. If you have been a victim of such negligence then head to yourlegalfriend.com to see what you can do about making a claim.
The second issue which is facing the NHS, especially during busy times such as winter, is reducing the waiting times of patients for both consultations and treatments, let’s take a look at what they are doing about it.
New Number
In 2014 the NHS introduced the 111, non-emergency medical helpline which was set up with a view to reduce the pressure on the emergency services. When it was conceived, the ambulance service reported that almost half of all call-outs which they made, were not in fact emergencies. If paramedics are attending a non-emergency, whilst there is an emergency going on, this could be absolutely critical to saving a life. The 111 number has seen great success and it has also cut down on people waiting in GP surgeries, thanks to the advice from trained medical professionals over the phone.
Live Times
A system which began in East Kent is now being rolled out throughout the NHS, which is simply displaying wait times in each of its hospitals online. These real-time figures can not only help to spread patients across various nearby hospitals, thus reducing the wait times in each one, but they can prove vitally important for paramedics was to where they direct their patients. In some cases such as in northern Wales, there is an NHS app which users can check to see what the local wait times are, through this use of technology people can be highly informed before deciding which hospital they will go to.
PushDoctor
There is an average wait in the UK of 13 days to get an appointment with a GP, highly important given the consequences of patients who may have serious underlying issues. In order to remedy this, the NHS have commissioned a new initiative called PushDoctor which allows patients to be consulted online, through a video call with a licensed GP, they also have introduced Medical trailers to ehelp as well.
Not only will this initiative help to ensure that everyone is seen, but it will also save a great deal of money for the NHS, as well as drastically reducing wait times. A great many people who go to hospitals and GP surgeries do not actually need treatment and with a digital doctor being able to give out that information, it will leave waiting rooms for those who actually need professional help.
Technology appears to be the future of the reduction of wait times in the NHS, and it cannot come soon enough.