St Mary’s addresses challenge of recruiting Senior Doctors in Palliative Medicine
Recruiting senior doctors in the field of Palliative Medicine caThe implementation of the Telehealth model had its challenges and a period of adjustment. The team initially had understandable concerns, and technical issues, including room acoustics, needed to be resolved. It was important to support group dynamics, as these formed within the team progressed more slowly due to the virtual nature of the interactions.
Key factors contributed to the success of the model. Consistency in having the same consultants attend meetings each week played a crucial role. Additionally, the on-site medical team, consisting of Specialty Doctors and Advanced Nurse Practitioners, possessed a solid baseline of experience, which greatly facilitated progress.n be a challenge, especially in remote and rural areas. To address this challenge and provide consistent expert support and guidance, we have implemented Telehealth. Telehealth involves healthcare professionals communicating clinical information remotely using various methods.
Our aim was to integrate a virtual consultant service into our hospice’s multidisciplinary team. This service will provide senior medical support remotely, allowing us to keep our hospice inpatient beds open and enable this choice for our community.
To achieve our aim, we used quality improvement principles, careful consideration of clinical governance and consultation at senior management level. The model was trialled with twice weekly multidisciplinary meetings using videoconferencing software and out of hours telephone support.
The implementation of the Telehealth model had its challenges and a period of adjustment. The team initially had understandable concerns, and technical issues, including room acoustics, needed to be resolved. It was important to support group dynamics, as these formed within the team progressed more slowly due to the virtual nature of the interactions.
Key factors contributed to the success of the model. Consistency in having the same consultants attend meetings each week played a crucial role. Additionally, the on-site medical team, consisting of Specialty Doctors and Advanced Nurse Practitioners, possessed a solid baseline of experience, which greatly facilitated progress.
To provide further support and troubleshooting, a routine call from one of the consultants was introduced on Fridays, ensuring smooth operations going into the weekend. Over the course of the last two years, the team’s clinical confidence in the model has significantly grown, and, importantly, hospice beds have continued to be available for the local community.
We believe that Telehealth is a growing solution to the challenges of modern healthcare. Advances have been driven forward by the Covid-19 pandemic An organisation’s infrastructure needs to adapt to provide a progressive approach to the delivery of specialist palliative care. With more research is needed to support development of evidence-based practice in this area.
If you would like further information please contact our Communications Team via communications@stmaryshospice.org.uk.